Kolkata, May 23 (Agency) A no-hold barred contest is on the card when ATK Mohun Bagan will take on in the Group D’s last encounter against Maziya Sports & Recreation ( Maldives) in the AFC Cup at the Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan Stadium here on Tuesday. The group of four was swung wide open following 3 points after their two plays each and the visiting Maziya and host ATK Mohun Bagan reviving their campaigns with wins over Gokulam Kerala FC and Bashundhara Kings respectively. Now the coaches expect their boys to battle through fatigue and impress in their last-ditch effort for top spot in Group D of the AFC Cup. All four teams sit equal on three points, and a win on Tuesday would surely place them ahead in the race for a top spot finish.
The match will be played after the Gokulam Kerala-Bashundhara Kings tie, but ATK Mohun Bagan head coach Juan Ferrando has urged his players to keep their focus on Maziya alone. “It is a big opportunity for us to enter the next round, the players are very tired, but our target remains to get three points,” said Ferrando. “Every game is different, for us we need to concentrate on the new plan for Maziya. Our target remains to register a win against Maziya, we don’t want to concentrate on the result of the first game of the day. We are professionals.” The 41-year-old Spaniard, however, is wary of Maziya’s prowess, as seen in their 1-0 win over Gokulam two days ago. “The Maziya team come from an incredible league, they always perform very well. The plan is to intercept the transition between the wings. They are very compact. And it’s difficult to find spaces. After their win against GKFC, they are surely very motivated.”
The match at the Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan Stadium on Tuesday will be the sixth clash between the two teams, with each side recording two wins apiece Maziya Sports & Recreation are riding and head coach Miodrag Jesic strongly believes his side can emerge victorious. “As I said before the first match, we will try our best,” said Jesic. “We hope we get a good result tomorrow, the atmosphere in the team is good, and that makes me happy. “We had good scouting before we came here, and we know we are playing against quality players. We won’t comment here about the strengths and weaknesses of ATK Mohun Bagan, but I will share it with my team. Most important is how we play tomorrow.”