Atlético de Kolkata head coach Jose Molina is confident his team can beat table-toppers Mumbai City FC when they host them in their first leg of the first semi-final of Hero Indian Super League 2016 at the Rabindra Sarobar Stadium on Saturday. Earlier this season, these two teams played out a 1-1 draw in Mumbai before Diego Forlan’s sole winner gave Alexandre Guimaraes’ men maximum points in the reverse fixture in Kolkata.

Speaking to the media ahead of the game, Molina said: “We played against them earlier in the season and we did a very good job against them in those two matches and I hope tomorrow we can have a good match. I have confidence in my team that we can win, and not only do we have to do a great job in defence but we also have to do a great job in attack.”

“We never play for a draw and we have drawn here many times [five times this season] and you can ask the players that we always try to win, and we will try to win tomorrow, and if we can’t win tomorrow, then we will try to draw. When we are on the pitch, we want to win and if we can’t get the win, then we are happy with a draw.”

Molina also said his players won’t be going into the contest vengeful following their defeat in Kolkata on October 25. “This is a different match, and it not a 90 but 180-minute match and we will prepare well in attack and defence. Yes, earlier we lost against them here but tomorrow we will try to win and hopefully we will win.”

“As I said before it will be a 180-minute match but the first part which is 90 minutes is tomorrow and I am focussed on tomorrow’s match to get the best result possible and try to win the match, and only after this match we will start thinking about the next match, but we have to remember it is a 180-minute match and we have got to try and play our best football.”

While Mumbai finished top of the table with 23 points from 14 games, ATK finished in fourth position with 20 points from 14 games. When asked if he agreed that his team was the underdog in this game, Molina said: “I do not think about that and I don’t worry about that, as it does not matter. I have to prepare to win tomorrow and I don’t lose my time thinking whether we are the favourites or not, and the point is to prepare my team to win and get to the final. Mumbai, I agree, could be the favourites as they topped the table.”

Molina also insisted that while ATK may have got just one point from their two matches against Mumbai this season, he didn’t think Mumbai were a superior team. “As I said earlier the standard of the teams is similar and maybe Mumbai won more matches and points but there is not much difference in the standard of the teams. They play differently but there isn’t a big difference. They will be a tough match for us and we will be a tough match for them and we will try to play in our way and try to win,” he said.

The 46-year-old Spaniard also reiterated that ATK wouldn’t solely focus on Mumbai marquee man Forlan, whose goal had condemned them in the earlier home tie of the season. “This time also, it is the same and no special plans. We are not playing against Forlan. We have to try and defend as a team against a team and not against a special player and we are trying to attack as a team and defend as a team and if we defend as a team, then we will have a lot of chances to keep a clean sheet and win the match,” he said.

Lastly, Molina left a message for all Kolkata fans who will be witnessing from the stands their team’s last home game of the season tomorrow. “I want to thank you for supporting us over here in all the matches and I am sure tomorrow will be great. We are trying to play well. We might not have got too many victories here but I think we did a great job and I hope it will be a good match, which they can enjoy. I hope we can get a victory,” he said.