Make Pune FC game count, Salgado tells teammates

A positive result in today's game against Pune FC could help Blackburn Rovers' EPL campaign, reckons star defender Michel Salgado

A positive result in today's game against Pune FC could help Blackburn Rovers' EPL campaign, reckons star defender Michel Salgado

Blackburn Rovers' star defender Michel Salgado had apprehensions about his team's trip to India taking into account their poor form in the English Premier League recently, but the Spaniard is glad the team is here now.


Allu00a0in theu00a0family! Blackburn star Michel Salgado (left) with his
son, also named Michel, during a practice session yesterday.
PICs/Suresh KK

Salgado feels Blackburn (owned by Venkateshwara Hatcheries), who are scheduled to play Pune FC in a friendly today at Balewadi Stadium here, may get enough positives out of the trip to put their stuttering EPL season back on track.

"We can get the positive result to turn things around and get back to England withu00a0 new spirit to turn things around in the EPL," said Salgado, about the historic encounter that will see Blackburn become the first EPL team to play in India.

The ex-Real Madrid star, who initially wanted the team to spend the international break in England, training to improve on their poor form, has been touched by the strength in adversity displayed by Indians who are battling with poverty.

"I had doubts about this trip to India because of our situation in EPL (Rovers currently lie in 19th position and are second from bottom with five losses in seven games). But, after just few hours in India, I realised this is the best thing we could have done. Looking at people struggling to get basic things like food, and still having a smile on their face, is a big lesson for us.

I have brought my kids over here. In five days here they will learn more about life than maybe in years of school. "It's a lesson for us as a team as well. We have a chance to give people something to be happy about through football," said Salgado, who arrived in Pune on Wednesday along with wife Malula and kids Michel and Malula.

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