ATK Mohun Bagan had a very disappointing display at the Super Cup as they bowed out of the group stage with two losses against Jamshedpur and FC Goa. They did win the Indian Super League trophy beating Bengaluru FC but the upcoming playoff against Hyderabad FC to qualify for the AFC Cup will be crucial for Juan Ferrando and his men.
If they qualify then this will be their third appearance in the AFC Cup. They reached the Inter-Zonal semifinals last time but forward Dimitri Patratos has made his intentions clear that the club wants to go further than that. He also shared how they are not satisfied with only winning the ISL trophy.
“This AFC Cup playoff is very important to us. We don’t want to halt after winning the ISL. Last year we made it to the Inter-zonal semi-final. This time our target is to go further. If we are able to do well at the continental level, it will enrich the club’s name and fame,” Petratos highlighted.
The Mariners have a balanced record against Hyderabad FC this season. They have won once and lost once and therefore they will look to settle some scores. The Nizams will also be pumped as they lost to the Green and Maroons in the semifinals of the ISL.
Petratos believes that they are aiming to finish this season on a high by winning this match and that will boost their morale for the upcoming season. “We have to defeat Hyderabad FC. This is the last game of the season. If we want to start the upcoming season on a high, winning this game is very important,” he added.
The Australian acknowledges the quality that Hyderabad FC have in store for them. The Nizams finished second in the league, something of which Petratos is very much aware. So he is looking to settle the score for this season in the favour of the Mariners.
“Hyderabad FC are a tough opponent. They ended second in the league. We have both the experiences of losing and defeating them. We want to settle the scores in our favour this time,” he shared.
Lastly, Ferrando has everyone available for this clash and he will be looking to unleash the attack against the Nizams. Petratos updated that Brendan Hamill has also joined the training and that gives the Spanish tactician more freedom to select his players. It promises to be a very exciting clash as we already saw Odisha FC qualify for the AFC Cup beating Gokulam Kerala FC.
