ATK Mohun Bagan will be eager to return to winning ways when they face the in-form Hyderabad FC away from home. The Mariners are winless in the last two matches and are looking to bring some momentum into the playoffs as they have been struggling to score goals off late.
A win against the Nizams will take ATK Mohun Bagan to the third spot overtaking Kerala Blasters. On the other hand, Hyderabad FC are sitting comfortably in second position and have already made it to the playoffs before time.
The Mariners won the reverse fixture but Juan Ferrando feels that it is a new game and a new start as he would like his team to put behind the defeats and focus on the match at hand. “For us, it’s a new game, of course, it’s important to focus on Hyderabad FC. The matches we lost in the past, we can’t change anything now, we can learn from our mistakes but most important for us is to focus on Tuesday’s match and it’s an important game for us. We got the three points in the reverse fixture and that’s something good for us and we want to get the three points and this is our mentality for all of our matches,” the Spaniard stated at the pre-match press conference.
Kerala Blasters recently lost against Bengaluru FC and it opened up the passage for ATK Mohun Bagan to get up to third spot if they win against Hyderabad FC. Juan Ferrand highlighted how the players and the staff are not thinking about the playoffs just yet as they want to win this game and challenge Kerala Blasters for the third spot. So the entire focus is on this game as they look to do the double over Manuel Marquez’s men.
“Honestly, I’m thinking of getting the three points and competing for third place. Our mentality is to go against Hyderabad FC and get the three points. I’m not thinking that we are out of the playoffs, we are thinking about getting the three points. On Saturday, Kerala Blasters FC lost their match against Bengaluru FC, so now it’s a good opportunity for us because if we manage to win against Hyderabad FC, then have a final for third place in our match against Kerala Blasters FC,” Ferrando added.
The Green and Maroons have not managed to find the net as often as they would have liked so the pressure is on their Australian talisman Dimitrios Petratos who has netted eight goals from 16 appearances and has been a very positive presence in the dressing room. Given the form the other forwards are in, the onus will be on Petratos to step up against the Nizams and lead from the front. His exceptional work rate alongwith his great presence in ATK Mohun Bagan was acknowledged by the Spanish tactician.
“Dimi (Dimitrios Petratos) has been so good, his numbers are good, he’s excellent in the press, and he’s perfect to find spaces in the attack. He helps in the buildup and helps in defence as well. His goals and assists have been really good. He’s been up there with top players in the Hero ISL. I’m really happy with his performances,” Ferrando concluded.
