Atletico de Kolkata (ATK), with three wins in four outings, has shown that it is the best-prepared side in the Indian Super League.
The craft and confidence that has underlined its dominance in the early part of the league will keep the city outfit in good stead when it takes on bottom-placed Kerala Blasters FC (KBFC) here on Sunday.
Despite its superb display, the Kolkata side has had its own share of controversy as it has lost Ethiopian striker Fikru Lemessa and coach Antonio Habas to acts of indiscipline.
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The two were given two- and four-match suspensions by the ISL disciplinary committee and the outcome of the bruising encounter against FC Goa, where the side recorded a fine comeback win (2-1), will be weighing heavily on the host against Blasters.
With goalkeeping-coach Deshi Bhaktawer, too, suspended for a match, the host will have to make do with minimal support staff.
Incisive runsADVERTISEMENT
The Kolkata franchise, which is now on top of the league standings, has flourished through the excellence of Lemessa, who has made incisive runs into the opposition box, while coach Habas has transformed the side into a well-oiled unit.
With its marquee player and Spanish World Cupper Luis Garcia nursing a ligament injury, Atletico de Kolkata will have to come up with a new plan of action.
The Kolkata team managed without Garcia in the last match against Goa, but the absence of Lemessa will further dampen its attacking options.
Lobo, the starThe side has, however, found a star in Indian midfielder Cavin Lobo, who scored both the goals against Goa.
Lobo, who has played a prominent role for his I-League club East Bengal, may be preferred in the middle of the park where the Spaniards, Borja Fernandes and Joffre Matteu, have been performing with consistency and distinction.
“The suspensions are unfortunate, but we are prepared to give our best. We have a settled team and will find the right replacements,” said midfielder Sanju Pradhan at the pre-match briefing.
Ganguly vs TendulkarInterestingly, the match will pit two former teammates on opposite sides — former Indian cricket captain Sourav Ganguly, the co-owner of Atletico de Kolkata, and Sachin Tendulkar, the co-owner of Kerala Blasters.
The visitors, who have lost both their previous matches, are looking to make the most of the confusion in the opposition ranks.
Blasters have, in their ranks, a few players who are accustomed to the artificial turf at the Salt Lake Stadium. Mehtab Hossain, C.S. Sabeeth and Orji Penn have all played for different city clubs in the past and will provide valuable inputs to coach Trevor Morgan.
Blasters also have the Scotland-born Canadian international Ian Hume, who scored the only goal in KBFC’s 1-2 loss to Chennaiyin FC, while former Newcastle United striker Michael Chopra will be looking to make a start on Sunday.
The Morgan viewBlasters coach Morgan hoped his team will remain mentally alive to guard against mistakes.
“We need to stay alive mentally and be aware of making lesser mistakes. In the two matches that we played we had good ball possession but could not convert the chances. So we are on the wrong side of the statistics now,” Morgan said ahead of the match.
“We need to get up and running, get our season started. We have had two narrow defeats and now we need to start winning, it’s pretty simple,” said Morgan as he laid out his objective for the team’s third away outing.