Kolkata: Atletico de Kolkata coach Jose Molina will have problems of plenty as his side take on last year’s finalist FC Goa in a fourth round encounter of the Hero Indian Super League at Rabindra Sarobar Stadium, Kolkata, on Sunday.
The Kolkata outfit will be without their key foreign recruits Helder Postiga, Jose Luis Espinosa and Ofentse Nato for tomorrow’s tie.
The home team are chugging along nicely in the Hero 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.
“I am sure it will be a tough match,” Atletico de Kolkata chief coach Jose Molina warned during the pre-match media briefing.
“FC Goa have not won as yet and they will fight to register a win. It’s not a problem for us. We are playing at home and we have to try to win. All of us, which includes me and the players, will give our best to win,” said the Spanish coach.
Atletico de Kolkata shared the spoils with Chennaiyin FC in the opening match, then pocketed all points from Kerala Blasters and drew against Mumbai City FC in their last match.
FC Goa, on the otherhand, have had the worst start to their campaign in the ISL, losing against NorthEast United FC, FC Pune City and defending champions Chennaiyin FC. Chief coach Zico, however, knows from experience in the ISL that all is still not lost for his team and the players.
“If we win two games we will be at par with ATK. So nothing is lost yet. In this tournament it does not matter if you finish first or fourth. What matters is making the play-offs. We are focussed on that. ATK are a nice side and we will do our best to neutralise their power,” said Zico.
The FC Goa line-up has not had a settled look and chief Zico will have to make quite a few big decisions. The choice of a goalkeeper will be uppermost on his mind as Laxmikant Kattimani has not been as impressive as last season in the first three matches and Subhasish Roy Choudhury is struggling with his fitness. Sukhadev Patil is the third goalkeeper, signed as part of Goa’s developmental player quota, and it remains to be seen if Zico is willing to consider him.
“All the matches that we have to play are tough games. We must have the strength to rectify the situation, especially against Atletico de Kolkata which is a strong team,” said Zico.
Meanwhile Atlético has announced today the signing of Portuguese central defender, Henrique Sereno Fonseca as a replacement for Pablo José Gallardo Zurera. Sereno has played for Portugal national team and has an experience of playing in clubs like Porto, Real Valladolid and top flight German club F.C Koln in the past.