Preview: ATK Mohun Bagan in must-win situation against Bashundhara Kings

The Mariners were thrashed 4-2 by Gokulam Kerala in the AFC Cup 2022 opener.

The AFC Cup 2022 group stage fixtures kickstarted on May 18. The Group D featuring the South Zone teams has taken an unexpected turn of events as hot favourites ATK Mohun Bagan suffered a heavy defeat in their first encounter against Gokulam Kerala FC. Meanwhile, Bashundhara Kings achieved a narrow 1-0 win against Maldivian side Maziya Sports & Recreation Club in their first match. ATK Mohun Bagan and Bashundhara Kings clash in the first match on Saturday with the former in must-win situation.

According to the table, ATK Mohun Bagan find themselves at the bottom of Group D. Contrarily, Bashundhara Kings are in the second position.

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ATK Mohun Bagan Vs Bashundhara Kings: The Stakes

It is a must-win situation for Juan Ferrando and his squad if they are keen to qualify for the next round. Mathematically, they are still in the game, but May 21 will be the “judgment day” for ATK Mohun Bagan. Anything short of a victory will lead to the death of their AFC Cup hopes.

On the other hand, Bashundhara Kings find themselves in a much more soothing place after the victory against Maziya S&RC. A point shall be enough for them. But Oscar Bruzon’s side will be aiming for a win as they will have to face the new Group D favourites – Gokulam Kerala in the ultimate group fixture.

Team News

The temperament inside the ATK Mohun Bagan camp is at stake. Tiri suffered an ACL injury against Gokulam Kerala. He is expected to be out of the sport for eight to nine months. Juan Ferrando might be compelled to use Sandesh Jhingan. The defender is currently recovering from an injury he sustained in a recently-played practice game.

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Ferrando informed in the pre-match press conference against Gokulam Kerala that the 28-year-old is now in a better condition. Hugo Boumous and Michael Soosairaj are also expected to miss out against Bashundhara Kings. Meanwhile, as per sources, Carl McHugh is expected to make a start tomorrow.

Bashundhara Kings will miss the services of national team defender Topu Barman, who is recovering from an injury. He underwent surgery in Mumbai in the month of January and is reportedly out for at least seven to eight months.

ATK Mohun Bagan Vs Bashundhara Kings: Head-to-Head

ATK Mohun Bagan and Bashundhara Kings have met once prior to Saturday’s encounter. Oscar Bruzon and his team will surely be a source of pain for the Mariners. Last year, when the two sides met in the same competition, the fixture ended in a 1-1 draw. The Mariners failed to secure a victory even after Bashundhara Kings' Sushanto Tripura received a red card in the 48th minute.

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ATK Mohun Bagan Vs Bashundhara Kings: Probable Line-ups

ATK Mohun Bagan: Amrinder Singh (GK); Prabir Das, Pritam Kotal, Carl McHugh, Subhasish Bose; Manvir Singh, Lenny Rodrigues, David Williams, Joni Kauko, Liston Colaco; Roy Krishna.

Bashundhara Kings: Anisur Rahman Zico (GK); Tariq Kazi, Bishwanath Ghosh, Khaled Shafiei, Yeasin Arafat; Mohammad Ibrahim, Masuk Mia Jony, Miguel Figueira, Sohel Rana, Robinho; Nuha Marong.

ATK Mohun Bagan Vs Bashundhara Kings: Players to watch

Roy Krishna (ATK Mohun Bagan)

The Fijian centre-forward will be the main threat for Bashundhara Kings. Although he failed to get his name on the scorecard against Gokulam Kerala, he could have easily scored at least two goals in the first half.

In the previous edition of the Indian Super League, he netted seven goals and assisted four times in sixteen matches. Roy Krishna can be a nightmare if the likes of Joni Kauko and David Williams feed him with brilliant passes.

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Robinho (Bashundhara Kings)

Robson Azevedo da Silva, commonly known as Robinho has been a livewire for Bashundhara Kings. If we look at his statistics this season, he has played 14 matches in the Bangladesh Premier League and already scored 11 goals. Notably, the left-winger has nine assists as well.

Undoubtedly, Prabir Das will have to be on his toes for the entire game. If Das fails to bottle Robinho, the 26-year-old Brazilian won’t hesitate to add to ATK Mohun Bagan’s misery in the AFC Cup 2022.

Did you know?

• As of now, Pritam Kotal is the only defender to score a goal in Group D fixtures.
• Bashundhara Kings’ head coach Oscar Bruzon has the experience of managing I-League sides Sporting Clube de Goa and Mumbai FC. In fact, he was also the assistant coach of Nicolas Anelka at Mumbai City in 2015.
• ATK Mohun Bagan are the only team in Group D who haven’t won the domestic league.

Telecast

The game will start at 4:30 pm IST at the Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan. The fixture will be telecasted live on Star Sports Network and its live streaming will be available on Disney+Hotstar and JioTV.

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