At the start of the season, after all the teams had arrived in Goa and entered the bio-secure bubble, ATK Mohun Bagan were the only team who chose not to participate in any friendly games against other ISL teams.
While other sides organized practice matches against each other and are still doing that in between the ISL fixtures, the Kolkata outfit have stuck to their regimen and training sessions.
Their decision looks justified as after two matches, Antonio Habas and his men look like the most prepared side in the competition, having won both their games convincingly and planting themselves as joint toppers of the table with a game in hand.
They have the opportunity to pull clear of Mumbai City FC and take the top spot when they take on Odisha FC on Thursday.
However, Odisha come into the game on the back of a gritty 2-2 draw against Jamshedpur FC after trailing 2-0 for the majority of the game.
Habas knows Odisha coach Stuart Baxter as they came up against each other in the Premier Soccer League in South Africa between 2012-13.
"I think he is a coach with experience and a fantastic CV. I respect him and I think he respects me. I think he will get some good work done with Odisha," said Habas ahead of the match.
While ATK Mohun Bagan look sharp and prepared, Odisha showed in the last game that they are slowly clicking into gear after a slow start.
In the first match against Hyderabad FC, they were completely outplayed. In the second game against Jamshedpur FC, they were trailing 2-0 till the 77th minute.
Odisha had their new striker Diego Mauricio to thank as he struck twice, including in injury time to snatch a valuable point.
It has lifted the mood in the Odisha camp according to their veteran coach.
"I think certainly that gave us energy and a little bit of belief. We are still very realistic and know that now it's the beginning of the process of development in the squad. Yes, it gives us a bit of energy and belief but we will keep our feet on the ground and make sure that we keep up the good work," said the Englishman in the pre-match interaction.
The 67-year-old suggested that his team is still in the process of settling down as a unit unlike ATK Mohun Bagan who are benefitting from retaining the coach and majority of the squad from last season.
"They are a balanced side, have been together for a while, and have a set way of playing that is difficult to play against. They have good players who can hurt you if you leave some space behind and if you don't do that, they are very solid defensively. We are going into the game buoyed and we feel that we can have a real go at it," he said.