Juan Ferrando, the head coach of ATK Mohun Bagan, believes the forthcoming Matchweek in the Indian Super League (ISL) will be critical since clubs above them will be involved in some daunting games in the upcoming games.
At the Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneshwar on Thursday, third-placed ATK Mohun Bagan will take on fifth-placed Odisha FC, who are only one point below them in the standings. Table-toppers Hyderabad FC and second-placed Mumbai City FC will play away games against Bengaluru FC and East Bengal FC, respectively.
Ferrando, who attended the pre-match press conference alongside defender Brandan Hamill, said despite the chance to beat Odisha FC and go up the table, his team is motivated to win every game. The Spaniard, whose squad has been ravaged by injury, also said that he is working closely with the club to bring in new faces in the ongoing transfer window as read in a statement released by the ISL website.
The head coach talked about the goal of the team given their performance was gradually improving in every game.
"Thursday won't be so easy as these three teams - Hyderabad FC, Mumbai City FC and Odisha FC - are very strong and their performance has been very good. We will be playing away and it's difficult when you play away because you know the situation and they are a very good team. They have very good players and their performance has been very good. It will be a difficult match. We have prepared a plan (for Odisha FC), I hope we have success because this week is very important for us," said Ferrando.
Talking about the chance to reach the top of the table against Odisha FC acting as added motivation he said, "For us, we're motivated all the time as we want to get the three points. Honestly, I think it's most important to be at the top of the table at the end of the season. Now, more or less, it's not really our target. The most important thing is to prepare for the match because it's not so easy. I hope we get three points. But we will see what will happen because East Bengal FC play against Mumbai City FC and Hyderabad FC play against Bengaluru FC."
Ferrando was aware of their opponent's ability to bounce back late in the game and said that they are focusing on winning the match and bagging three crucial points from the game.
"No, it depends on the match. It doesn't matter when the goals are scored, the matches are for 90 minutes and in extra time. During this time, you can score. The most important thing is to create opportunities and try to get the three points and win the match. This is the target. The time is not important," expressed Mohun Bagan's coach.
( With inputs from ANI )
Disclaimer: This post has been auto-published from an agency feed without any modifications to the text and has not been reviewed by an editor