BENGALURU: There was nothing much to choose between ATK Mohun Bagan and NorthEast United FC in the first leg of the ISL semifinals, which ended in a 1-1 draw. Even their head-to-head record this season is similar, with the Mariners and Highlanders having won once each before the Playoff draw. With neither team having any advantage going into the second leg, one can expect another tight affair with finals spot in the offing at the Fatorda Stadium on Tuesday.
There will be conscious effort from both teams to ensure mistakes are limited to a minimum as a small error here or there could lead to their exit. With it being a do-or-die game, there will be additional pressure and it could all boil down, which team handles crunch situations better. And ATK Mohun Bagan coach Antonio Habas emphasised that they have to be careful throughout the game.
"In the semi-finals, there is not much difference between the teams as they are the best teams in the league. The difference could be minimum. Maybe a small situation when a team commits a little mistake (can be dangerous). We have to keep our security and after that score goals. This is our principle,” said Habas.
They need to find a way to score goals against NorthEast, whose defenders did well to contain Habas’ attackers. ATK Mohun Bagan have relied heavily on Roy Krishna and why not as he has been their best player up front with 14 goals, but returns from Manvir Singh (5 goals) and David Williams (4) does not augur well.
As for NorthEast, they have various players, who have delivered in front of goal. Their goals are well distributed too. If Luis Machado has been their highest goal-scorer with seven, Deshorn Brown, who is doubtful for the game, and Federico Gallego have five and four respectively. Overall, they have 11 players to contribute in their goals tally, which makes them a big threat.
With the way Khalid Jamil has been able to instil a winning mentality, the Highlanders will not look at such records and just give it their all for the interim coach, who has helped them become a force in the league. They will be more than determined to ensure and continue their unbeaten run under Khalid.
“The players are motivated and they have been doing a great job so far. I am sure if they continue the same, we will go the distance and even if we don’t, there is nothing to be ashamed about. They have made everyone proud and that’s the important thing,” said Khalid. “ We will have to create more scoring opportunities and put them under pressure. One team will have to outscore the other in this one as a draw will create the added load of 30 minutes.”