Defending champions ATK square off against old rivals Kerala Blasters FC in Hero Indian Super League (ISL) 2017-18 at the Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan in Kolkata on Thursday. The hosts have had a torrid season plagued by injuries and are coming off the back of four successive defeats, the last three of which were at home. They would want to make sure that they bag three points against a team that have never beaten them in Kolkata. Defender Ashutosh Mehta was initially out with an injury but has featured regularly for the two-time champions in recent times. Prior to the match, the 26-year-old spoke to indiansuperleague.com and shared his thoughts regarding the league and the coming fixture. Here are the excerpts.

Are you satisfied with the season so far?

The season has not been that great for us. Sometimes things don’t go the way you want, but you have to keep fighting until the end. We have five more games to go and we are not going anywhere without a fight.

What are your thoughts regarding the domestic players this season?

I think all the players are giving their best. There are days when the players do not click, but I think all the players are giving their 100%.

Goal scoring seems to be a real problem for ATK this season. Your views on that?

We had problems up front, but we are going to keep trying. The goals will come. We just have to work hard.

Does the team have the faith of making it to the playoffs?

The chances are less, but like I said, we are not going without a fight.

How would you evaluate your own season?

It’s been good, but there is always scope for improvement. It’s always good when the coach shows faith in you. I try to keep it very simple and make the most out of the game.

Any message for the fans?

Just keep loving and supporting us the way they have been for the past three years. Have faith in us, support us and definitely we will come back stronger.