We have nothing to lose, we are not scared: Milomir Seslija

Maziya boss Milomir Seslija shed light on few significant inury concerns ahead of their AFC Cup clash against Mohun Bagan.

Maziya Sports & Recreation Club are set to take on heavy-weights Mohun Bagan in the upcoming AFC Cup clash on 2nd of October at the Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan, Kolkata. Maziya S&RC have been unbeaten in their last five games as they triumphed in four of their previous five encounters. On the other side, Mohun Bagan, who are also unbeaten in their past five games, will look to capitalize on their ISL momentum and maintain their winning streak in the AFC Cup too.

Both sides have previously met each other in the AFC Cup on several occasions. Therefore this rivalry is well-known among Indian football enthusiasts. It will thus be intriguing to see how Milomir Seslija's Maziya, who have failed to beat Mohun Bagan in their past three meetings, capture the field, as Juan Ferrando will also send his boys to grab another win in the AFC Cup and maintain their winning streak.

Milomir Seslija spoke at the pre-match press conference ahead of the clash against the Green & Maroons in the AFC Cup. Excerpts are below:

Milomir's thoughts on their matchup against Mohun Bagan

Maziya S&RC head coach tried to underline how offensively dangerous Mohun Bagan are, and how they are preparing with their eyes wide open and strategizing on achieving the desired outcome. The boss Milomir Seslija has a note of their strengths too. He said, "I'm really impressed with the draw. A difficult game against a difficult opponent. They are fantastic attacking wise. We are here to play football, try to get something and see our progress. We have nothing to lose, we are not scared. We have noted their strengths and everything is on us to play with courage and be better than the last game as everything is measured by results."

The manager further added, "The adjustment to climate and environment is different from India and Maldives. In football, you can't have so many excuses, you need to be ready for any conditions. Football is a sport where anyone has a chance to win. You can score by shooting on goal. They are a very good squad with quality national team players. We didn't come here to play defensive football. If we can put pressure, we can score goals. We're here to win and will try to give our best."

Milomir Seslija's change of tactics againt Mohun Bagan

Everyone is aware of Mohun Bagan's attacking prowess and their ability to effortlessly maintain their momentum against any defensive line. The Maziya boss discussed their strategies and changes to their preparations to thwart the onslaught of Bagan. He said, "'I don't think any coach will say any tactical thing. We must be compact not just in defence but also in attack. If we attack, we have chances to win. We'll try to attack them. Attack is the best form of defending for me. I believe in my players and I came to Maldives to show that they have better players than they believe. They are a good team but they have weaknesses that we'll look to exploit."

The coach also added, "The strongest point is that they're very good attacking-wise and attack with six players. They get a lot of players inside the box. In the ISL, all the teams are scared of Mohun Bagan and they give them too much respect. They're scoring a lot of goals and he (Juan Ferrando) has good tactics. When you can see the physical and technical aspects, they have an advantage as they are playing games regularly. But we'll see this is football. We'll see in the moment where we are and what we can do in the future. We only played at our 50% potential in the last game. We haven't shown any of our utmost potential yet."

Maziya coach highlights the lastest injury concerns

Prior to their next encounter on Monday in the AFC Cup, head coach Milomir Seslija spoke about injury concerns and the likely absence of their important campaigners. The tactician said, "I have 17 players today. If I had 20, it would be best. The travel is becoming stressful for the players and a lot of injuries are happening because of that. When you have more players in the squad, it becomes easier to coach the team."

The coach concluded by adding, "My first goalkeeper is injured. My captain defender is injured and my striker is injured. We have a few out due to injury because we don't want to get them injured. The national players didn't have a good start, but I think they're getting better and have new motivation. It's a tough match but we'll give our best."