The match will be competitive, says Antonio Habas ahead of JFC test

The Spaniard also voiced his frustration on the refereeing in the previous game.

ATK Mohun Bagan's bright start to the season was stopped in its tracks by defending champions Mumbai City FC. Antonio Habas and co were stunned by the dominance of the Islanders who put five goals past them.

With their form and pride hit, the Mariners will now face Jamshedpur FC in their next game. The Men of Steel are yet to lose a game this season. They will make it into the top-four for the time being, if they win against the Mariners. Hence, the task is on Habas to make his team recover from their horrific defeat in the previous match.

Ahead of the clash against Jamshedpur FC, Antonio Habas interacted in the pre-match press conference on Sunday.

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Thoughts on the Mumbai City FC game

It is definitely not an easy task for Antonio Habas and ATK Mohun Bagan to quickly forget their previous game. The Kolkata giants were humiliated by a ruthless performance from Mumbai City. However, Antonio Habas quipped that he is focusing on the challenges ahead.

"We can't have any excuses (for the previous game). For me, the game is in the past and we should not look for excuses," he began.

Habas, who wasn't available for the post-match press conference after the game against Mumbai City FC, spoke his mind regarding the refereeing on the night.

"I think Mumbai were better than us but the performance of the referee was embarrassing. I think the result worsened for us due to that. They scored so early, the second goal was from the player's hand, the third goal for me was off a foul. The referee gave a red card for (Deepak) Tangri but not for (Mourtada) Fall. The fourth goal was off-side. So for me, the referee was embarrassing," he opined.

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Tiri's availability

A great news for the Mariners ahead of their game against Jamshedpur FC would be the possible availability of Tiri. The veteran defender is yet to play this season following an injury. However, Habas mentioned that the Spaniard could be a part of the 20-man squad for the game against Jamshedpur FC.

The upcoming challenge

Antonio Habas had words of praise for Jamshedpur ahead of the game on Monday night. "I respect the coach a lot (Owen Coyle) because he is serious and does a lot of good things. I think it will be a very competitive match. For me, it is important that we take it match-by-match, step-by-step. You can't afford to sit down as you have a game every three days," he said.

"I don't want to talk about individuals (of Jamshedpur FC). They have good Indian players, they are solid in attack and defence and I think they will come out strong tomorrow night," he concluded.

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