Sheringham devastated by Lyngdoh absence, Delhi to find it tough without Portugal

The Bengal Tigers midfielder is out for the season while the Lions boss is serving an expulsion.

Defending champions ATK host Delhi Dynamos FC at the Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan in Kolkata on Saturday in the Hero Indian Super League (ISL) 2017-18. ATK notched up their first victory of the season in their last fixture when they got the better of Mumbai City FC, and would be now looking for their first home win of the season.

Speaking to the media during the pre-match press conference was ATK head coach Teddy Sheringham. He started off by expressing his delight at finally winning a game. “We need to start winning regularly if we are to go far in the competition,” he stated. "It was fantastic to get a win finally. The way we performed in the first four games, it was nice to get a win when we didn’t perform as well. It’s funny how football works. We battled, we did what we had to do to win the game and I was delighted with that approach.”

The Englishman also explained how he was planning to approach the upcoming fixtures. “My plans are as they have been for 25 years as a professional footballer; to prepare for the next game and once we’ve done that, prepare ourselves for next game after Christmas,” he revealed. “It’s always the same for a professional footballer. I’ve played on Christmas Eve, I’ve played on Boxing Day, I’ve played on New Year’s Eve and also on New Year’s Day. Christmas is a time to celebrate for other people, but not for footballers.”

Before wrapping up, he also expressed his disappointment at midfielder Eugeneson Lyngdoh being ruled out for the entire season due to injury. “It’s quite devastating to miss him (Lyngdoh)! He’s an outstanding player for me and the leader of the Indian boys. He leads by example. I’m devastated for him. He won’t be playing this season. He started the season very well and I was hoping for a great season from him,” he concluded.

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Meanwhile, present from the visitor's side was the assistant coach, Shakti Chauhan. Head coach Miguel Portugal will serve an expulsion on Saturday and Chauhan emphasized that “psychologically it will be difficult” for the team. Speaking on their opponents, he stated, “ATK is a good side. They have won the championship twice in the past three years. But apart from the last game, they also haven’t been doing well. They will be more motivated and more confident than our team. We have come here with four losses and we want to make a statement by getting three points.”