After two winless matches, ATK Mohun Bagan will target all three points when they meet FC Goa in match 30 of Indian Super League (ISL) 2020-21 at the Fatorda Stadium, Goa on Wednesday. (More Football News)
The contest between two title-favourites will pit two tactically sound managers, Antonio Habas and Juan Ferrando, but with different styles. The epic match will have a direct bearing in the remainder of the season.
Habas' ATK are renowned for counter-attacking and being defensively organised. So far, the Kolkata giants have had an average of 46 percent possession – third-lowest by a team this season.
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Meanwhile, Ferrando's FC Goa love dominating opponents and have usually accounted for the lion's share of the ball. They have averaged 59 percent possession – most by a team this campaign.
ATKMB have injury concerns with doubts over Javi Hernandez and Tiri. Injuries to the duo have disrupted the balance of the side and Habas acknowledged the problem after his side dropped points in their previous game against Hyderabad FC.
"There is a long way (to go this season)," Habas had said about his team losing the top spot. "Obviously, we don't want to lose but we have many problems with injuries. But we have to recover the players and make them compete."
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While Igor Angulo will aim to extend his goal-scoring tally for the Gaurs, Roy Krishna will be key for ATKMB during counter-attacks. The Fijian has scored four of his team's six goals so far – with all their goals coming in the second half.
Out of the five goals Goa have let in so far, three have come after the break and Ferrando is aware his side will need to be alert throughout the game.
"It's so very important to have one plan for the team since we play against a very good team, not only Krishna," he said.
"It's important to be compact of course (but) also (take care of) the time, area of the ball and the spaces. It's important to focus on these details for 90 minutes. This team is incredible because for 90 minutes they are working hard."
While the Mariners are placed third on the table with 10 points after five games, their opponents, FC Goa, placed fifth with eight points.
Head-to-head: This is their first meeting in the ISL, but the Kolkata outfit, in their earlier avatar, had a 5-3 lead in the head-to-head record in 14 meetings.
All you need to know about the ATK Mohun Bagan Vs FC Goa match:
Match: 30th match of ISL 2020-21 between ATK Mohun Bagan Vs FC Goa
Date: December 16 (Wednesday), 2020.
Time: 7:30 PM IST
Venue: Fatorda Stadium, Goa
TV Listing: Star Sports 1/HD, Star Sports 2/HD (English); Star Sports Hindi 1/HD, Star Sports 3, Star Gold 2 (Hindi), Asianet Plus, Asianet Movies (Malayalam); Star Sports Bangla; Star Sports Kannada; Star Sports Tamil; Star Sports Telugu and Star Sports Marathi.
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Live Streaming: Online streaming will be available on Disney+ Hotstar VIP and JioTV.
All ISL 2020-21 matches will be shown live and can be streamed live in 82 territories across the world. Check worldwide coverage details HERE.
Likely XIs:
ATK Mohun Bagan: Arindam Bhattacharjee, Prabir Das, Pritam Kotal, Sandesh Jhingan, Sumit Rathi, Subhasish Bose, Carl McHugh, Edu Garcia, Brad Inman, Manvir Singh, Roy Krishna.
FC Goa: Mohammad Nawaz, Seriton Fernandes, James Donachie, Ivan Gonzalez, Saviour Gama, Lenny Rodrigues, Edu Bedia, Brandon Fernandes, Jorge Ortiz, Alexander Jesuraj, Igor Angulo.
