After suffering a humiliating 4-2 defeat against Gokulam Kerala in the opening game of the AFC Cup 2022, ATK Mohun Bagan responded strongly with a 4-0 against Bangladeshi giants Bashundhara Kings in the second round of fixtures. The comprehensive win kept their qualification hopes alive.
However, in the final round of group stage matches, the Mariners will face Maziya Sports & Recreation at the Salt Lake Stadium on Tuesday.
All four teams sit equal on three points in Group D. The Maldivian club suffered a 0-1 defeat against Bashundhara Kings in their first game but came back strongly with a victory against the I-League champions. Hence, both teams will be hungry to grab the three points.
It will be a must-win game for ATK Mohun Bagan if they are to make their way into the playoffs. They will hope that the Kings can hold Gokulam Kerala to a draw or defeat them.
Maziya FC vs ATK Mohun Bagan: Key Players
#1 Joni Kauko (ATK Mohun Bagan)
The Finnish midfielder is an absolute metronome going up and down the pitch. Along with Lenny Rodrigues, Kauko will be looking to control the tempo of the game and play Maziya FC out of possession. Kauko is also a wonderful passer of the ball and he will be pivotal in quick transitions for the Mariners.
#2 Cornelius Stewart (Maziya S & RC)
Vincentian winger Cornelius Stewart is a threat to the Malabarians' defense given his pace and strength on the counter. Stewart didn't manage to score in the last game but had a number of shots on goal. In the absence of Tiri, the ATKMB defenders will have to be at the top of their game to contain the 32-year-old.
Maziya FC vs ATK Mohun Bagan: Predicted Lineups
Maziya S&RC: Kiran Kumar Limbu (GK), Shifaz Hassan, Ali Samooh, Nemanja Kartal (C), Haisham Hassan, Hussain Nihan, Ibrahim Aisham, Hassan Naiz, Tana, Hamzah Mohamed, Cornelius Stewart
ATK Mohun Bagan: Amrinder Singh (GK); Subhasish Bose, Carl McHugh, Pritam Kotal (C), Prabir Das; Joni Kauko, Deepak Tangri, David Williams; Liston Colaco, Roy Krishna, Manvir Singh
Maziya FC vs ATK Mohun Bagan: Livestream and Telecast
The AFC Cup 2022 group stage match will be played at the Salt Lake Stadium on May 24, 2022. The game will be telecast live on Star Sports 3 in India from 8:30 pm IST and can also be streamed on Hotstar and JioTV.
Maziya FC vs ATK Mohun Bagan: Quotes from coaches
Maziya FC head coach Miodrag Jesic said:
“We had good scouting before we came here, and we know we are playing against quality players. We won’t comment here about the strengths and weaknesses of ATK Mohun Bagan but I will share it with my team. Most important is how we play tomorrow.”
ATK Mohun Bagan head coach Juan Ferrando said:
“The Maziya team come from an incredible league, they always perform very well. The plan is to intercept the transition between the wings. They are very compact. And it's difficult to find spaces. After their win against Gokulam, they are surely very motivated.”