ATK Mohun Bagan midfielder Hugo Boumous reckons his team should top their Group in the AFC Cup 2022 if there will not be any upsets. The Mariners recently bested Sri Lankan team Blue Stars FC by 5-0 and then went on to beat Bangladesh’s side Abahani Dhaka by 3-1 in the qualifying rounds.
ATK is now placed in Group D of the main event and they will face teams like Gokulam Kerala FC (India), Basundhara Kings (Bangladesh), and Maziya S&RC (Maldives).
There is no doubt that ATK Mohun Bagan are favorite in their group and they will look to bring their A-game to the pitch. The team is currently training for the tournament in Kolkata and they will look to give their best.
“Looking at the overall group strength-wise, we are the best team. If there’s no big upset down the road, we are going to top the group. The preparations have been relatively better compared to the previous season, we have won the last two practice matches and scored a total of eight goals. So, if we don’t qualify for the next round, we cannot give any excuses,” said Hugo Boumous, as per a club statement.
“We have seen video clips of the teams we are going to face. I feel that Basudhara Kings is the toughest of the three teams we are going to face, they are very balanced. After them, come Gokulam Kerala FC, who have played sensational football in the I-League last season and the current season. But, with the strength we have, we should not only be defeating Gokulam Kerala FC but all the teams.”
In fact, ATK Mohun Bagan had topped their group in AFC Cup 2021 but suffered a huge loss of 0-6 against Uzbekistan’s FC Nasaf in inter-zonal semifinal playoffs.
Finland player Joni Kauko, who impressed in EURO 2022 added it imperative to focus on their own strengths rather than ponder over the opposition’s strong points.
“Even before I played the Euro 2020, I did not think much about the opponents, nor did I watch any clippings. I haven’t seen videos of the teams we are going to face in the AFC Cup either. I feel stressing too much on the opponents creates unnecessary pressure on the players, which hampers the normal rhythm of the game. Anyway, the coach starts working according to the strengths and weaknesses of the opponent three days prior to the matchday, I will get a hold of the situation then,” quipped Joni Kauko.
ATK Mohun Bagan will begin their campaign against Gokulam Kerala FC on 18th May. Subsequently, they will face Basundhara Kings on May 21 while they will take on Maziya S&RC on the 24th of May.
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