We will do everything it takes to win: Juan Ferrando

Juan Ferrando also spoke about Mohun Bagan’s main objective this season.

Mohun Bagan Super Giant are set to go head-to-head against fellow Indian Super League (ISL) side Mumbai City FC in their upcoming 2023 Durand Cup quarter-final clash on Sunday, August 27. The Mariners finished behind their rivals East Bengal in the group stages and now face one of the overwhelming favorites of the tournament.

Juan Ferrando on Mumbai City threat

Juan Ferrando is well aware of how difficult this game will be and the amount of talent that Mumbai City have stacked into their squad. Speaking ahead of the game on the Islanders’ strengths, he said: “Mumbai City FC have created a squad to be able to fight in the AFC Champions League. We created one to compete in the AFC Cup. So for both our teams, this will be a really challenging and exciting game. They are a strong unit, who are dangerous in both their wings. The likes of Lallianzuala Chhangte, Bipin Singh, Mehtab Singh, and Akash Mishra are all settled India internationals in their squad.

“They have an influential foreigner in Greg Stewart. Our squad is ready for this game after playing two back-to-back AFC Cup games, so this should be a tight encounter. We will do everything it takes to win. But we have to acknowledge the fact that Mumbai have had a resting period of almost 10 days before this quarter-final, while we’ve only gotten about three days,” he added.

What is MBSG’s main objective for 2023-24 season?

The Spaniard reiterated that his side’s main objective this season is to succeed in the AFC Cup and that might influence their team selection in the Durand Cup games and in matches ahead. He explained: “Our major objective this season is to excel in the AFC Cup this season. That’s why we need to rotate the squad properly to avoid injuries. Keeping that in mind, I’ll field the team in the upcoming games.

“We are still in pre-season training and a lot of our players are actually new to the squad. They need some more time to properly adapt to the system. We managed to get through the last two games, but need to improve a few aspects of our game going forward,” the mentor added.

Do the Mariners’ squad have ‘mental block’ over this fixture?

Juan Ferrando has actually never been able to defeat the Islanders since taking over as the Kolkata giants’ manager, coming up short time and again. When asked if he feels there is a ‘mental block’ among his players when it comes to this specific opponent, he said: “The fact that we haven’t been able to defeat Mumbai City in a long time doesn’t mean we won’t be able to defeat them on Sunday. This is a totally new team, in a new environment and a new tournament. There is no mental block at all among our players regarding the games against Mumbai City.

“The big thing for tomorrow is that a lot of our players will play against Mumbai while wearing the Green and Maroon colours for the first time. They are totally determined to win and take us into the semi-finals,” he finished off with.

Mumbai City and Mohun Bagan are going to meet for the first time in the Durand Cup 2023 at the Salt Lake Stadium on Sunday. The winners of this game will take one step closer to their dreams of winning the Durand Cup title and will face the winners of the FC Goa vs Chennaiyin FC match in the semi-finals.

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