AFC Cup: BFC lock horns with ATK Mohun Bagan in all-India affair
BFC
head
coach
Marco
Pezzaiuoli’s
side
will
head
into
the
clash
having
not
defeated
ATK
Mohun
Bagan
since
the
Indian
Super
League
two
years
ago,
with
the
Italian
claiming
that
makes
his
team’s
rivals
the
favourites.
Pezzaiuoli
though
said
his
side
would
have
to
be
at
their
best
at
the
National
Stadium.
Bengaluru,
who
defeated
Club
Eagles
1-0
in
the
playoff
on
Sunday,
are
grouped
alongside
ATK
Mohun
Bagan,
Bashundhara
Kings
and
Maziya
S&RC,
with
only
one
team
set
to
qualify
for
the
Inter-zone
playoff
semifinals.
“Our
last
game
was
only
two
days
ago,
so
it
was
a
short
recovery
for
the
team.
It’s
not
really
an
advantage,
but
I
can
see
the
glass
either
as
half
empty
or
half
full,
and
I
choose
to
see
it
half
full.
There
was
a
good
spirit
and
positive
energy
in
the
team
after
the
win.
We
need
to
be
very
sharp
against
ATK
Mohun
Bagan,
because
I
am
expecting
an
aggressive
game,”
said
Pezzaiuoli,
speaking
at
the
pre-match
press
conference.
ATK
Mohun
Bagan,
who
qualified
for
the
group
stages
of
the
competition
by
virtue
of
the
erstwhile
Mohun
Bagan’s
victorious
2019-20
I-League
campaign,
have
recruited
strongly
since
their
defeat
to
Mumbai
City
FC
in
the
2020-21
Indian
Super
League
final.
Pezzaiuoli
believes
the
Blues
will
have
their
task
cut
out
on
Wednesday.
The
Kolkata-based
side
have
added
several
players
to
their
squad
over
the
summer,
including
the
likes
of
French
midfielder
Hugo
Boumous,
Amrinder
Singh,
Liston
Colaco,
Ashutosh
Mehta,
Bidyananda
Singh
and
Deepak
Tangri.
“ATK
Mohun
Bagan
like
to
play
a
lot
of
long
passes,
go
for
the
second
ball
and
press
high
up
on
the
pitch,
which
calls
for
a
different
approach
from
us.
But
they
have
also
changed
things
in
the
summer,
by
bringing
in
a
French
foreigner
(Hugo
Boumous),
among
other
players.
