Goa: Bengaluru FC the only unbeaten side of the league will face ATK Mohun Bagan on Monday, at Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Fatorda. Named as the match of the Titans, two teams are desperate to win and go to the top of the table.
Bengaluru looked confident in their last three matches and will try to prove their point against a side with whom had a great history of the rivalry. Both the teams had some very fierce encounters in Indian football. But most importantly two heavyweights of Indian football will come face to face for the first time in Indian Super League.
ATKMB on the other hand looked confident after their tactical victory over FC Goa in their last match. They looked confident with Roy Krishna and David Williams looking to link again at the top. These are good signs for them to stay at the top of the league.
Sunil Chettri has been scoring again and he will be the target man for Bengaluru. Just thinking of his strength at this ripe old age just mesmerises every football fan of the country.
Bengaluru coach Carles Cudrat was confident but certainly knows that ATKMB won’t be an easy team to face. In the pre-match press conference, he said, “I think it will be a very physical challenge. Their players are tough with big bodies and they play a high tempo game. You saw against Goa how they play as a compact team and try to take advantage of the open space. We also, after five games in 21 days, are going to get some fresh legs. The team is playing well but I also think that we need to go in for some protection and play some players with fewer minutes so that we can be tough from the first moment of the game.”
ATKMB coach Antonio Lopez Habas knows the dos and don’ts. He has been a prolific match reader and his team earns from that. Certainly, he knows that he will face an unbeaten side, so his strategy will be different from what we have seen against Goa.
In the pre-match press conference, Habas said, “They have competitive players and are a very strong opponent for us. I know that the match between Bengaluru and ATK Mohun Bagan is a very important match. We respect the opponents and the 90 minutes will decide whether we get the three points.”
