Atlético de Kolkata defender Arnab Mondal is determined not to leave Guwahati empty-handed when they play NorthEast United FC at the Indira Gandhi Athletic Stadium on Friday. ATK lost their last game against Mumbai City FC earlier this week and will look to return to winning ways without head coach Jose Molina, who is serving a one-game suspension.

ATK’s forward line has come in for some criticism this season but Mondal defended his strikers and instead blamed fatigue. “Last seven days, we have played three matches so we are tired. It’s not that the strikers are not trying, they are just not getting goals, we play as a team and we will try our best to get three points or one point,” he told reporters ahead of the match on Thursday.

ATK have managed just two clean sheets from six games this season, and Diego Forlan’s goal in the 79th minute in their last match led to Molina’s men first defeat this season. Mondal, however, refused to pin the blame on the team’s backline. “We haven't conceded because of a weak defence nor have we conceded because of silly mistakes. According to me, the last match should have ended in a draw, they scored with a deflection. We are playing as a unit in our attack, midfield as well as defence,” he said.

“We never play a marking game. No one was given a particular player to mark, they were given zones to mark. It all happened in a fraction of seconds and Forlan reacted beautifully. He is a great player and his finish speaks about his qualities. If you see properly you can estimate the reaction time and Forlan did it very fast,” Mondal further made his point.

Meanwhile, ATK assistant coach Bastab Roy insisted that Molina’s absence in the dugout won’t have any bearing on the match. “He is with us. Ninety percent he is with us. He can't be with us in the dugout but his support is with us,” he said.