Antonio Habas: Bengaluru FC have a good defensive line

The ATK head coach also revealed that his players can score from open play despite lacking in set-pieces.

It will be another jaw-dropping clash when reigning champions Bengaluru FC face ATK in the second leg of the playoffs. The Blues will carry forward a 1-0 lead and will look to get the job done away from home. Ahead of the game, ATK head coach Antonio Habas shared his thoughts with the media.

Speaking about his main objective, Antonio Habas was clear that he wants to go for the kill as he said," I really have one aim to win the match. My duty as a coach is to prepare my team for the challenge and it is an important challenge for the team. I only want to say that we are prepared."

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The 62-year-old sung praises about the Bengaluru FC defence and feels that it will be a very intense clash between two good sides. 

"They have a good defensive line and are very solid. We are talking about two teams with least goals conceded in the league. Now, for that we will have one balanced match. We have to get the balance right and it will be a very intense match."

"I think in football it is important to score goals, but we have to be careful and not concede. We have to maintain that balance between positives and negatives. It is like life, where there are bad people and good people. Things are always different in a final and in an eliminator. Here you make one mistake and you are out," the Spaniard added on being quizzed about his tactics ahead of this crucial match. 

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Antonio Habas also clarified how his team have lacked from set-pieces this season, but is very confident that his players will find the back of the net from open play. 

"I think those are statistics and we are very good that we don't need set-pieces (laughs). But, I think we have strong characteristics to score goals in regular play and not so much from set-pieces."

Australian forward David Williams who accompanied Antonio Habas also shared his thoughts ahead of the crucial game against Bengaluru FC, as he said, "I think my take on the match will be to win the match with some extra goals and take the confidence forward. We have had a good atmosphere in training and that's exactly what we need," he said.

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"We had a good game last week, we gave it our all. But, sometimes good teams find their way to win and that's how Bengaluru won. We did put pressure on them and I did not have a feeling of a loss last week as a player," he added.

Williams also spoke about the attacking trio constituting him, Roy Krishna and Edu Garcia, "Other teams have only one player in attack to worry about, but we have a whole lineup to worry about. I think it is easier to take one out of them. Apart from the set-pieces, we score goals the way we play. Tomorrow is a very important day and I think it comes down to the mentality that we show on the field."

Team News

Antonio Habas does not have any injury concerns ahead of this crucial second leg in the playoffs. The hosts will look to take the attacking route from the start and Garcia is likely to start in midfield alongside Javi Hernandez. While Michael Regin may replace Jayesh Rane to add more steel. 

Probable Lineup

Arindam (GK); Prabir, Pritam, Johnson, Rathi, Soosairaj; Garcia, Regin, Javi; Krishna, Williams. 

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Head To Head

The Blues have enjoyed great superiority over the Kolkata outfit in the past. Both sides have met seven times and the only time ATK defeated Bengaluru was at the Salt Lake Stadium earlier this season, when David Williams scored the solitary goal. Bengaluru have won five of the seven matches, while one has ended in a draw. 

Broadcast

The match will take place at Salt Lake Stadium on Sunday evening. The game will be broadcast live on Star Sports 2 and Star Sports 2 HD. It will also be available to stream on Hotstar and Jio TV.