ATK Mohun Bagan head coach Juan Ferrando believes his team can get their AFC Cup 2022 campaign back on track when they host the Bangladeshi side, Bashundhara Kings in their second game at the Salt Lake Stadium on Saturday.

Kolkata giants ATK Mohun Bagan will have a challenging job ahead when they go to face-to-face with Bashundhara Kings. The Mariners started their campaign on a disspapointing note, going down 2-4 against Gokulam Kerala in the first game. On the other hand, the Bangladeshi side edged past Maziya S&RC 1-0 to have a clean start to their AFC Cup campaign.

Ferrando addressed the media during the pre-match press conference.

Here are the excerpts from the press conference:

After the first match outcome, What are your expectations from the upcoming match?

It’s okay, the last match is the past now. For us the most important is the present and the future. We learned some points. But we’re thinking about the tomorrow game against Bashundhara kings and we will be trying to get the best.

How hopeful are you to qualify for the next round?

We are ready to give our best. We know we are up against a very good team, Bashundhara Kings are the champion in their country. For us we need to score and regarding qualifying for next round, if we play good  football there are chances until the last moment.

The Gokulam Kerala FC coach said that Real Kashmir FC gave them more trouble than ATK Mohun Bagan. Do you feel  he’s being bit disrespectful towards your side  with that comment?

We are thinking about the tomorrow’s match. That’s the most important thing right now and the rest is the past. My team ATK Mohun Bagan is a big club and a good club. We have a very good squad at this moment and I trust my players more than them.

Do think tomorrow will be the real test of your defence?

We're looking at the same plan. We are continuing with our style. Of course it's necessary to improve some details because sometimes it's not only football, it is a mix of moments. Sometimes you need to take risks, sometimes you'll have success and sometimes not and this is football. But I repeat. I have trust in my squad and I know that they want to do the best. I hope tomorrow’s match go better than the last one.

Will tomorrow’s encounter be more of a psychological one because both teams will feel the pressure to win this match?

It's more than psychological because to  be honest, after the match, you have one day for recovering. Today we had a practice game, then you have not much time to prepare for the match. But I'm  thinking about the performance of the team. It’s very important to be positive, we know it’s a very difficult match and everybody wants to do the best. The players try to do the best in these matches.

How do you assess Bashundhara Kings as a team?

They are a amazing team. They are getting competitive and fighting in all their games. They look well planned and there are good players in their team. So a lot of positive points in this team. We know that we'll be up against a very good side.