Vacations are getting over in ISL with ATK making a visit to Delhi Dynamos this Wednesday, for Match 10 this season. Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, Delhi will be hosting the compact match.
All the 22-men on the field will be equally thirsty for a victory in the new season. While Delhi Dynamos had to settle for a draw in their first match, ATK was over-ruled by Kerala Blasters and NorthEast United FC.
It would certainly be a match-to-watch, as both the managers would be taking the field with the 'winning tactics'. ATK finished the two matches with poor performances and hence are at the bottom of the table with no points. Delhi Dynamos, however, had to settle with the one point they clinched from Pune City FC.
Match Information -
Date: 17 October
Kickoff: 7:30 PM IST
Live Stream: Star Sports Channels and hotstar.com
Venue: Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, New Delhi
Team News
Delhi Dynamos
Delhi Dynamos is not among the most consistent teams of the league. They were not able to keep their performances above par regularly, which resulted in an eighth position finish last season. This had forced the management to bring in Josep Gambou as their head coach.
Gambou's first match with the club did not give him a result as expected. Dynamos had to leave the pitch with one point after they conceded the equalizer to Pune City FC in the 84th minute.
The lineup they fielded against Pune City was a decent one, not forgetting to defend at the times of attack.
Franciso Dooronsoro, the Spanish custodian was assigned the duties in front of the post. Except the goal in the late minutes, Dooronsoro was not bad and would be dropped only if the coach wants an additional foreign player on the field.
The defence too met the objectives most of the time, except on a few occasions of individual brilliance from the Pune attackers.
Centre-back Rana Gharami drew out a goal from nowhere to help the team open the account.
The midfield managed to keep the ball in play with accurate passing and shots at regular intervals in an effort to test the Pune keeper.
However, Bikramjit Singh was injured in the first half itself and Vinit Rai was sent in as a replacement.
Romeo Fernandes too might be picked in the XI to trouble the wingers of ATK. Andrija Kaludjerovic, who played the role of the lone striker will be found at the same spot once again. The coach would expect him to fire more shots at the opposite goal.
ATK
ATK is a team who has not found the rhythm, even after two matches. They have not scored their opening goal even after 180 minutes and the famous defensive tactics of coach Steve Coppell has not gone right. Having conceded three goals already, the coach will have to bring in some changes.
Arindam Bhattachrja is one with a lot of experience against his name. But he hasn't reflected it in his performance yet.
Chances are high for Debjit Majumder coming in for Arindam. Gerson Vieira and John Johnson are among the very few ATK players to have shown some positive signs so far.
The two stoppers have put in some effort to clear the ball evading danger. Sena Ralte will be missing the match due to the suspension from the second yellow he received against NorthEast United. Ricky Lallawmawma might be the new entry into the lineup.
El Maimouni is one player Steve Coppell would want to improve. He has not been the best in passing and at times gives away possession cheaply. A possible replacement would be Eugenson Lyngdoh.
This can make way for Kalu Uche's first start this season. The shooting boots of two forwards, Balwant Singh and Everton Santos are missing, which will be a concern. Hence, changes are expected in the attack too.
Probable Lineup
Delhi Dynamos (4-2-3-1): Dooronsoro, Kotal, Gianni, Gharami, Das, Tebar, Vinit, Chhangte, Mihelic, Romeo, Kaludjerovic
ATK (4-4-1-1): Debjit, Khongjee, Gerson, Johnson, Lallawmawma, Lyngdoh, Halder, Rane, Lanzarote, Santos, Uche
Key Players
Delhi Dynamos: Delhi Dynamos' midfielder Rene Mihelic will be their most important player on the field against ATK. The Slovenian is capable of feeding the balls to the forwards and has the armory to test the goalkeeper at times.
ATK: Manuel Lanzarote will be the man Steve Coppell rests his expectations upon. If the 34-year old is on his good days, ATK will surely leave Delhi with three points.
Predictions
ATK would have done the work behind the scenes in the one-week break. Hence a victory for ATK will not be a surprise.
Predicted Score: 0-2