"We are always confident in our squad’s ability," Jose Molina ready to ace ACL 2 assignment

Mohun Bagan will undertake their Asian Assignment with the opening clash against Ahal FK.

Jose Molina is prepared to herald a positive start for Mohun Bagan in the 2025-26 AFC Champions League Two campaign as they take on Ahal FK in their first group stage encounter on September 16, 2025. The Mariners will hope to take energy from their faithful at the Salt Lake Stadium and produce a thunderous performance to blow away the Turkmenistan club to start their campaign on a positive note.

Jose Molina acknowledges that it will be a tricky encounter for his side, but insists that his squad is ready for the challenging game against the Turkmenistan club. Speaking about his side’s approach to the game, he stated: “It’ll be a difficult match against a good opponent for us. All of the AFC games are against big teams to face against, and of course we are always confident in our squad’s ability and hopefully we can have a good match and achieve the win.”

Also Read: How can Mohun Bagan line up against Ahal FK?

Up for challenge despite lack of game time

“I am satisfied with my players fitness. They worked really hard in the last month to prepare in our best way. We have had no chance to pay matches and that didn’t help us. We only played a friendly game against FC Goa which was really good, and I’m sure the team is ready and the players are ready for tomorrow. We are confident to do a good job to win the match.”

When asked about the importance for excelling in the AFC Champions League Two competition for Mohun Bagan, Molina claimed: “That is the point, we want to prove to everyone that we’re not only a great team in India but that we can compete stongly in Asia and try to do something great. It’s a great opportunity for everyone to prove that and we are excited to get that opportunity. We are confident about thinking that we can do it.”

Molina ‘satisfied’ with new signings

Molina seems to be pleased with the way his new signings like Robson Robinho, Abhishek Singh and Kiyan Nassiri have blended in with the squad, as he claimed: “Absolutely satisfied with the new players. They are working really hard and trying their best to blend in. It takes time at times for players to adapt, but I’m really happy with how they are working so far, and of course, not only them, but all the players. I’m sure that the players are ready, as they’ve been working really hard in these weeks, even without matches. I feel that the team is ready for tomorrow’s game.”

The Spanish gaffer seemed to indicate that Subhasish Bose might be lacking match sharpness for this game after only recently recovering from an injury, as he stated: “Being honest, I’m absolutely satisfied with all players, but not all players have worked the same amount of time. We have trained for six weeks, and the players who didn’t miss any training sessions are in really good shape right now. Some players, who didn’t complete all sessions, don’t have the same kind of fitness. Subhasish can be one of them.”

Finally, the Spaniard spoke about the importance of home matches and the role the Mohun Bagan faithful will play to help his team give their best at the Salt Lake Stadium in the AFC Champions League Two matches. He claimed, “We feel that the crowd is very important for us in the home matches here. They always push us to win, and hopefully we can win another home match tomorrow. Hopefully, they can help us achieve the three points.”

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