ATK Mohun Bagan will hope their journey to the top of the tree starts with a win over arch-rivals Bengaluru FC when the two sides meet in the Indian Super League (ISL) 2021-22 in Margao, Goa on Saturday. (More Football News)
ATKMB are fifth in the points table with 15 points in their bag but they have played only nine matches so far. A win on Saturday will take them closer to Kerala Blasters, who are top of the heap with 20 points but have played 11 games.
All teams have played 11 games in the top four and for the Mariners, it is a golden opportunity to get there.
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Under Juan Ferrando the team has looked to be finding its mojo after losing the plot at the start of the season.
The green and maroons have been unbeaten in the last five games and were held by Hyderabad FC in their last outing. But a major cause of concern for Ferrando would be Hugo Boumous' unavailability.
Boumous picked up his fourth yellow card in the last match and won't be available for this one.
He has been a vital cog in ATK Mohun Bagan's attack this season. In nine ISL matches this season, he has scored five goals and provided three assists.
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For Bengaluru, they have found form after a poor start to the season. The Blues are also unbeaten in their last five games and downed Mumbai City FC by a heavy margin in their last outing to further underline their slide being arrested.
Prince Ibara has taken the goal-scoring pressure off Cleiton Silva with his exploits in the last couple of games and that should be music to coach Marco Pezzaiuoli's ears.
The Congolese striker has scored four goals this season, with three of them being assisted by Roshan Singh Naorem who himself is having a breakthrough season himself.
Bengaluru are placed seventh in the table with 13 points from 11 games and a win would take them to fifth spot in the table. The last time the two sides met, the game ended in a 3-3 draw.
