Will try to deny FC Goa from getting any points: Molina

The Spaniard is confident of keeping ‘hungrier’ FC Goa at bay.

Atletico de Kolkata are unlikely to let go of the chance to compound the woes of their fierce rivals as they take on FC Goa in a fourth round encounter of the Indian Super League at Rabindra Sarobar Stadium, Kolkata, on Sunday. Atletico de Kolkata are chugging along nicely in the ISL with five points in their first three matches but their rivals from Goa are at the bottom of the table, unable to win in three attempts. Goa’s start to the league is the worst in three years and Atletico de Kolkata, who enjoy an unbeaten record against FC Goa in six matches, know they can now add to their points tally. Atletico de Kolkata shared the spoils with Chennaiyin FC in the opening match, then pocketed all the points from Kerala Blasters and drew against Mumbai City FC in their last match. Head Coach Jose Molina, however, shrugged aside any suggestions of overconfidence within the ATK camp and admitted that Goa’s winless start to the season will only make the Gaurs hungrier for a positive result on Sunday. “I am always confident of the players in my team. But we must not be overconfident. We have had three good games and FC Goa have had three defeats so I am sure it will be a good match, a tough match. They will play very strong since they are looking for their first win,” he said. He continued: “We will have to play harder than them tomorrow to win. It is an important match to us. We are playing at home so we have to try and win every match at home. Especially the one tomorrow, it is very important to us. I hope we will win the game tomorrow.” Skipper Borja Fernandez, who has been a constant at the centre of the park for ATK since Hero ISL 2014, also accompanied Molina at the press conference. When asked for his thoughts on the difference in the managerial styles of former ATK and current FC Pune City head coach Antonio Habas and Molina, the 35-year-old said: “Both coaches have some kind of similarity and some kind of difference in their styles. But overall both are Spanish styles of playing. They both believe in not giving any advantage to the opponent. We have had two great seasons under Antonio Habas and we are sure this season too will be great under Molina.” When asked how confident he was of making a third consecutive semi-final appearance this season, Borja said: “As a team we just think about one match at a time rather than thinking about the semi-finals. For now, we are concentrating on the next match.” Photo © ISL Media