After draws in their last outings, both ATK Mohun Bagan and NorthEast United FC will be eager for a win when they square off at the Fatorda Stadium in Match 46 of Hero Indian Super League (Hero ISL) 2020-21 on Sunday. The Kolkata giants are unbeaten in their last four games, while the Highlanders are winless in their previous four matches and need a victory to get their season back on track.

The Mariners will fancy their chances against NorthEast and will be hoping that their attacking players come to the fore. They have netted twice in their last three games and need the likes of Roy Krishna, David Williams and Edu Garcia to spearhead their attack. Manvir Singh is another player from the Kolkata club that’s impressed in the attacking third and is capable of making a telling difference.

Antonio Lopez Habas will also want his players to be on the front foot from the start and score early. ATK Mohun Bagan have netted seven of their eight goals in the second period and they’ll be eager to improve on that as they look to set the tone for the contest.

“I have to analyse the performance of the whole team and not just Roy Krishna in the last matches. The team's behaviour and performance is 100 per cent. Roy Krishna can score goals but more important is their attitude and overall performance. I would have been worried if didn't create chances to score but in football, you can do something in one situation and cannot do that in another. In football, all situations are different during the 90 minutes,” Habas discussed the goal-scoring issue with the media ahead of the game.

Defensively, the Mariners are one of the best set-ups in the league. They’ve kept clean sheets in their last three matches and have only conceded three goals all season. ATK Mohun Bagan, in fact, have kept six clean sheets this season – the most by a team in the league.

Meanwhile, NorthEast will be keen to rediscover their form after a minor slump following a strong start to their campaign. They haven’t tasted victory in their last four games and need to pick up maximum points to climb into the semi-final spots. The Highlanders will also need to be more solid at the back against ATK Mohun Bagan and can’t give away too many chances.

Their settled backline has to be on top of their game and their midfielders will be aware that they must do better. Lalengmawia and Khassa Camara have been in splendid form but the Highlanders will want more from their creative spark Federico Gallego.

Up front, Idrissa Sylla will be key. He has been one of NorthEast’s biggest goal threats this season, alongside Luis Machado, who looks lively whenever he has the ball at his feet. Young Ninthoinganba Meetei is another exciting option for Gerard Nus to use.

“Regarding tomorrow's game, we know that it is going to be very tough. They are one of hardest teams to play against, no doubt about it. If you see the table, you can see why. No matter what, they will be at the top all this season because they have got amazing players. They retained many players that they got in the squad and that obviously helps in a short league like this,” said Nus ahead of the game.

Squads:

ATK Mohun Bagan

Goalkeepers: Arindam Bhattacharja, Dheeraj Singh, Avilash Paul, Arsh Shaikh, Aryan Niraj Lamba

Defenders: Tiri, Pritam Kotal, Prabir Das, Sandesh Jhingan, Subhasish Bose, Sumit Rathi

Midfielders: Pronay Halder, Bradden Inman, Javier Hernandez, Edu Garcia, Carl McHugh, Glan Martins, Jayesh Rane, Michael Soosairaj, Boris Singh, Regin Michael, Sahil Sheikh, N Engson Singh

Forwards: David Williams, Roy Krishna, Manvir Singh, Md. Fardin Ali Molla

NorthEast United FC

Goalkeepers: Gurmeet, Nikhil Deka, Sanjiban Ghosh, Subhasish Roy

Defenders: Ashutosh Mehta, Benjamin Lambot, Dylan Fox, Gurjinder Kumar, Mashoor Shereef, Nabin Rabha, Nim Dorjee, Provat Lakra, Rakesh Pradhan, Wayne Vaz

Midfielders: Federico Gallego, Imran Khan, Khassa Camara, Lalengmawia, Lalrempuia Fanai, Pragyan Gogoi, Rochharzela

Forwards: Britto PM, Idrissa Sylla, Ninthoinganba Meetei, Kwesi Appiah, Lalkhawpuimawia, Luis Machado, Suhair Vadakkepeedika

Live Broadcast Schedule:

Hero ISL 2020-21 Match 46: ATK Mohun Bagan vs NorthEast United FC

Date: January 3 (Sunday)

Time: 7:30 PM onwards

Channels: Star Sports Network

Streaming: Disney+ Hotstar and Jio TV