Match 72 of Hero Indian Super League (Hero ISL) 2020-21 will see NorthEast United FC take on ATK Mohun Bagan at the Fatorda Stadium on Tuesday. Both the teams won their last games. While the Mariners left it late to beat Chennaiyin FC 1-0, the Highlanders got the better of Jamshedpur FC 2-1 to end their seven-match winless run.  

Under interim head coach Khalid Jamil after the departure of Gerard Nus, NorthEast United showed big improvement in their victory over Jamshedpur. The side replaced the injured Kwesi Appiah with Deshorn Brown and the Jamaican forward repaid the faith shown in him with a goal on his debut for the club. His goal-scoring form will be key against a defensively sound ATK Mohun Bagan unit who have conceded only five goals this season in 12 games .

“We need to dictate the play and control the game. When we do not have the ball, we have to defend well, and when we do have the ball, we have to keep it well. If we get a correct chance to operate in the attack, then we will attack. If not, we will be patient with the ball. I am sure that the boys will do a good job against ATK Mohun Bagan,” NorthEast United assistant coach Alison Kharsyntiew said ahead of the game.

Second-placed ATK Mohun Bagan, meanwhile, kept the Marina Machans at bay and clinched the winner through David Williams in injury time to secure the three points. However, this was the Mariners' only 12th goal in 12 games this season and the attacking issues of the team will need to be addressed by Antonio Lopez Habas.

Roy Krishna’s form up front is a major worry for the club. The Fijian’s last goal came in the previous encounter between these two sides earlier this month, where he gave his team the lead from a corner. The Mariners went on to win the game. Habas will hope that Krishna can find his finishing touch to help ATK Mohun Bagan to victory against a team with a penchant for causing upsets this season. 

“The team had a good performance during the 90 minutes in the last match. The idea will be the same. The players understand that in this match, we need another win. Also, we changed the system of play and maybe this system had an influence on the score. NorthEast have played very well in the Hero ISL this season. We have to respect them,” Habas said ahead of the match.

Squads:

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, Wayne Vaz

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

Forwards: Britto PM, Idrissa Sylla, Ninthoinganba Meetei, Deshorn Brown, Lalkhawpuimawia, Luis Machado, Suhair Vadakkepeedika

ATK Mohun Bagan

Goalkeepers: Arindam Bhattacharja, Avilash Paul, Arsh Shaikh,

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

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

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

Live Broadcast Schedule:

Hero ISL 2020-21 Match 72: NorthEast United FC vs ATK Mohun Bagan

Date: January 26 (Tuesday)

Time: 7:30 PM onwards

Channels: Star Sports Network

Streaming: Disney+ Hotstar and Jio TV