Preview: Will ATK Mohun Bagan's returning hero turn the tide against Jamshedpur FC?

The Men of Steel are ahead in head-to-head clashes.

Jamshedpur FC and ATK Mohun Bagan, at this point, sit in weirdly similar positions at two ends of the Indian Super League (ISL 2022-23) table. The Men of Steel no more have chance to qualify for the playoffs. The Mariners, too, have zero chances of winning the league championship.

All they can hope for is to please their fans with a strong swansong to the league stages. ATK Mohun Bagan probably have more on the line than Jamshedpur, as they can still secure a top-three finish at the end if they win their remaining games.

Juan Ferrando’s side need a big win to regain their momentum and head into their final matches high on confidence. Aidy Boothroyd’s side will aim to act as disrupters and further dampen their form, while giving their fans something to be cheerful about.

The Stakes

Jamshedpur FC

The Men of Steel have had a disastrous season. After allowing many key first-teamers to leave, they’ve struggled to adapt to the change. With just three wins in 17 games, Jamshedpur have one of the worst records in the ISL.

For now, all they have to play for is their fans. They can’t qualify for the playoffs or finish in the top half of the table. They have nothing more to lose and this might make them more dangerous.

Indeed, Boothroyd will probably allow his side a free pass to play without pressure and try to expose ATKMB’s issues. Losing another game doesn’t bother them anymore, as the players will just be focused on producing an entertaining spectacle for the fans and send them home happy.

ATK Mohun Bagan

Expectations are always there for ATK Mohun Bagan to be competing for top honours. Now that they can’t compete for the ISL Shield anymore, all they can hope for is the playoffs. But with the playoffs battle getting tighter, they need to start winning games again.

As Juan Ferrando recently stated, ATKMB are aware that whoever they face will play to their best potential against them. The Mariners need to find a second wind at this stage to finish the season strongly.

The Spanish mentor will try to motivate them in order to get the very best out of them in these remaining games. A big win against Jamshedpur FC can act as a stepping stone to take them to the promised land next month. Another draw or loss, however, can further dampen the mood and subsequently, results, in the final few games.

Injury & Team News

Jamshedpur FC have an available squad heading into the fixture.

ATK Mohun Bagan continue to be without Ashique Kuruniyan, as he serves the suspension for a direct red card against Odisha FC. Hugo Boumous is back after serving his suspension. Deepak Tangri is out with an injury.

Head-to-Head

Jamshedpur FC have faced ATK Mohun Bagan five times in the ISL so far.

Jamshedpur FC – 3

ATK Mohun Bagan – 2

Drawn – 0

Predicted Line-ups

Jamshedpur FC (4-4-1-1)

TP Rehenesh (GK); Laldinliana Renthlei, Pratik Chaudhari, Eli Sabia, Ricky Lallawmawma; Boris Singh, Pronay Halder, Jay Emmanuel-Thomas, Ritwik Das; Rafael Crivellaro; Daniel Chukwu Chima

ATK Mohun Bagan (4-2-3-1)

Vishal Kaith (GK); Asish Rai, Pritam Kotal, Brendan Hamill, Subhasish Bose; Glan Martins, Carl McHugh; Manvir Singh, Hugo Boumous, Liston Colaco, Dimitri Petratos

Player to Watch

Rafael Crivellaro (Jamshedpur FC)

Since arriving at Jamshedpur FC in December, Rafael Crivellaro has added a lot of freshness to their attack. He has been that link they’ve desperately missed and adapted to the situation pretty well. In just nine appearances for them, Crivellaro has created 25 big goal-scoring chances. That is more than the likes of what Alberto Noguera, Bipin Singh and Anirudh Thapa have managed with more appearances.

In the previous match against NorthEast, Crivellaro created seven chances himself and registered an assist. He’s in a hot run of form and can be a problem for the Mariners. If given too much space to operate in the final third and a lot of set-pieces, the No. 10 can cause major headaches by setting up a lot of chances.

Hugo Boumous (ATK Mohun Bagan)

ATK Mohun Bagan badly missed the creative presence of Hugo Boumous in their loss to Bengaluru FC. Federico Gallego is yet to properly readapt to the ISL and couldn’t provide that similar spark. Boumous will be raring to go after missing the last game as he has been a huge influence for the Mariners this season.

The midfielder has created 45 big chances for the side, but has only fetched four assists. Boumous’ clever off-the-ball movement, close control and final third delivery make him a huge threat for Jamshedpur. If the Mariners aspire to get a big win, they’ll need to play around Boumous and make things count when he sets them up.

Did You Know?

• Vishal Kaith has kept seven clean sheets in the ISL this season, the highest for any goalkeeper.
• Jamshedpur FC have only scored 16 goals in 17 ISL games, the second-lowest goal total for any side.
• Pritam Kotal and Asish Rai are both in the top-three of most interceptions made by a player in the ISL, with 33 and 34 respectively.

Telecast

The match between Jamshedpur FC and ATK Mohun Bagan will take place at the JRD Tata Sports Complex, Jamshedpur on February 9 (Thursday). The kick-off time is 7:30 PM IST. The game will telecast live on the Star Sports Network. Disney+HotStar and JioTV will also stream the match.