ATK Mohun Bagan will face Sri Lankan club Blue Star FC in Preminlary round two of the AFC Cup playoffs at the Salt Lake Stadium on Tuesday. The Mariners had finished the previous season of Hero ISL 2020-21 in second place behind Mumbai City FC and thus they had sealed their place in the AFC Cup playoffs.
Meanwhile, Blue Star FC will be guided by Sri Lankan coach Banda Samarakoon. They had bested Nepali side Machhindra FC by 2-1 in the first round of the playoffs and they will take on the Indian club.
On the other hand, ATK Mohun Bagan had finished in third place in the recently concluded Hero ISL 2021-22 season after winning 10 matches out of the 20 they had played. However, their journey came to an end when they were beaten by eventual winners Hyderabad FC by 3-2 on aggregate in the semifinals.
The team’s head coach Juan Ferrando had joined the club during the midseason from FC Goa. The Spaniard was able to turn the tables as the Mariners were struggling a bit in the initial stages of the tournament. Thus, Ferrando will now look to guide his team in the AFC Cup after facing the disappointment of a semi-final loss.
Meanwhile, Juan Ferrando has also extended his contract with the club till the end of the 2022-23 season.
If ATK Mohun Bagan manages to beat Blue Star FC, then they will face the winner of the other playoff clash between Abahani Limited Dhaka and Club Valencia of Maldives.
Subsequently, if they once again manage to win their third round, then they will be placed in Group D alongside Bashundhara Kings of Bangladesh, Maziya of the Maldives and Hero I-League champions Gokulam Kerala.
