ATK Mohun Bagan head coach Juan Ferrando was in a bullish mood ahead of the match against Mumbai City FC in the Hero Indian Super League (ISL) in Mumbai on Sunday as he urged his team to pick up all three points from what he sees as a tough away fixture.

The Spaniard though believes that he has the best set of players at his disposal and if they play according to his plan at their best possible level, they will win matches even against teams like Mumbai City FC.

Ferrando and forward Manvir Singh addressed the pre-match press conference ahead of the match against Mumbai City FC.

Here are the excerpts:

ATK Mohun Bagan go into the match against Mumbai City FC with a win in the Kolkata derby. So how different will the plan against Mumbai City FC be?

Ferrando: It will be a different plan as it's a different team with a different style. They have a lot of quality players and have the experience of playing in the AFC Champions League. It's a difficult match especially playing away from home without our supporters and also because they are a big team. But we have a plan and we hope we will succeed.

Historically, the game after the Kolkata derby has always been tougher for Kolkata teams. How would you handle this problem?

Ferrando: I think it's very important to be ready for the next match because the Kolkata derby win is in the past and it's necessary to be ready because there are three points on offer. It's very important for us to get these three points because there are 3-4 teams that are showing a high level of performance and if we have to finish in the first position then we need to win this game.

What are the strongest and weakest points of Mumbai City FC?

Ferrando: They have a very strong spine. In the build-up, they control the space very well. In attack, they have Bipin Singh and Lalianzuala Chhangte who are quick players and most importantly they make good decisions and that's why it's very important to control them as they are a very good team in these situations. It's difficult to prepare the defence against these types of teams.

You had said after the Kolkata derby that you need to improve on transitions. Is your team prepared for that?

Ferrando: We will see on Sunday. I hope the team is ready because we work in all the training sessions on these aspects. As a coaching staff, it's our target to make the team take control of transitions, and have strong points in defence. I hope we are consistent in matches. Our target as a team is to have good performance in all the matches. Of course, the team will change due to injuries, suspensions and with players maybe playing in different positions but we must ensure that our performance should be the same.

ATK Mohun Bagan have never beaten Mumbai City FC. Do you think this makes this match tougher than the Kolkata derby?

Ferrando: I hope we take three points on Sunday. This is our target. We will see what happens on Sunday. We can't control the statistics all the time. The most important thing for me is when we play away is that it's difficult for the players as they are playing in front of crowds after two years and hence it's very important for us to control this situation.

Sunday is a new match, a new opportunity. I trust in my team and in the squad. Our mentality is to get three points. But if we think about our record against them in the past then it will be difficult to win the next match.

Do you have any special plans for Mumbai City FC's attack which consists of many top players?

Ferrando: I think we have the best squad. If we work as a team we will surely have success. Of course, we have a lot of respect for Mumbai City FC as they have very good players but in my point of view, if we play at our best level, we win the match.

Liston Colaco is not having the same impact as last season. Are you worried about him?

Ferrando: We started the season with certain players, not at the top of their performance but are now doing very well. In a season of 30 matches, it's normal that your performance is not at a high level for 6-7 matches and you have ten matches of super performance. For the position in which the likes of Liston and Manvir play, it's hard to maintain the level of performance because it depends on the team.

I am not worried about Liston because all the players are getting better and that will help him.

What is your take on Dimitri Petratos' performance?

Ferrando: Yes we are happy with him because he is helping a lot on the pitch. He understands his position on the pitch perfectly. I am very happy about the foreign players because everyone knows the concept. Dimitri has learned about our concepts quickly and he has been incredible not just in matches but also in training.

For me, it's very easy when you have players like him because he controls the spaces, he knows when is the moment to attack the space. It's amazing. Apart from his goals, I love how he controls the space and the timing of the press. I hope he continues in the same way as he is a very important player for this team.

Here are the excerpts from Manvir Singh’s press conference:

Historically, the game after the Kolkata derby has always been tougher for Kolkata teams. How would you handle this problem?

Manvir: I don't think the game after the Kolkata derby is tougher. As a player, we are giving our 100% in training ahead of every match.

We all know that Mumbai City FC is a very good team with a lot of good players. We are doing a lot of good things in training and that's what we want to follow in the matches. We are going there to get maximum points.

Can you tell us about your role in the team offensively and defensively?

Manvir: Everyone has to defend whether you are a striker or a defender. The head coach dishes out a plan for us and we stick to that.

You missed a few chances earlier in the season but scored in the Kolkata derby. So what would you say about your performances this season?

Manvir: Strikers do miss chances. But for us as a team, it's important to keep creating chances. If we create chances, we will eventually score. I am creating chances, I am receiving chances too and I want to keep giving my 100%.