The unavailability of Helder Postiga will hamper Atletico de Kolkata’s chances not just when it takes on FC Goa here on Wednesday, but in the long run as well. The former Porto striker suffered a hamstring injury after scoring his second goal in the 3-2 victory over Chennaiyin FC on Saturday, and is likely to miss the next four weeks of action.
This was confirmed by Atletico de Kolkata (ATK) coach Antonio Habas at a press conference here on Tuesday. “The injury to Postiga is quite serious. He will be out for about a month,” Habas said.
Defenders Arnab Mondal and Rino Anto — both called for international duty — will skip this encounter. It is up to the rest of the players — Postiga’s replacement Valdo, in particular — to do the job.
Habas rates FC Goa highly, and explained that paying attention to the little details could make all the difference. “Both teams are pretty evenly matched, so small things like giving away a free-kick could cost you,” he said.
Postiga’s absence could give the home side the mental edge, given that Zico’s men do not possess a good record against the defending champion. The two teams met four times last season, with FC Goa unable to record a win.
Zico is not too concerned about past results, and views this match as a fresh start. “We may not have beaten them yet, but that is because we did not have luck on our side.
“This season, both we and ATK have brought in a lot of new players, so it is a different situation now.”
FC Goa’s display against Delhi Dynamos on Sunday is sure to boost the side’s confidence ahead of this fixture. Wingers Romeo Fernandes and Mandar Rao Dessai harried the defenders, while new marquee player Lucio held firm at the back.
Reinaldo da Cruz Oliveira, who scored in the 2-0 win, looks sharp in front of goal. If the players continue to create dangerous chances like they did in the previous match, more positive results are bound to come.
