ISL 2018/19: "When you play FC Goa, you have to be alive," says ATK coach Steve Coppell ahead of Wednesday's clash

ATK will fancy their chances at when they take on second-placed FC Goa at the Salt Lake Stadium on Wednesday evening in the fifth season of the Indian Super League.

Lanzarote and Co. shared the spoils with Mumbai City FC in the previous encounter which in which the team produced a lacklustre performance.

Coach Steve Coppell feels that Goa are very “inventive” in the game, although they are often prone to make mistakes.

During the pre-match press conference, he said,

“When you play Goa you have to be alive because they’re inventive. But, they’ve lost a couple of games and there is a blueprint to beat them. Last year, they lost five games. They can be pleasing on the eye going forward but they can be vulnerable.”

FC Goa has scored many goals which were the outcome of crosses. The Englishman is quite aware of the matter and will be taking proper measures to avert the danger. Regarding the matter, he said,

“They’ve scored a lot from crosses without having a center-forward who isn’t very big. They have many cuts back many crosses. They don’t hang them up into the box. We’re mindful of that. It’s a tough game.”

Out of the five home matches played so far, ATK has managed to win just two of them. The Kolkata based side would like to improve their home record and earn the valuable three points up for grabs against FC Goa.

Manuel Lanzarote will once again spearhead ATK’s attacking half while Gerson Vieira will control the midfield. Nevertheless, it promises to be a riveting encounter.

Steve Coppell also feels that the foreign contingent of the visiting is a thing to worry about, especially with the likes of Coro and Jahouh up front.

“I would say the foreigners. They’ve scored most of their goals. Jahouh hasn’t scored, but there’s the focus on distributing their play. Coro obviously scores a lot. The core of their foreign players is the strength of their side,” said the Englishman.

Regarding FC Goa's lethal striker Ferran Corominas, he said,

“He’s a good player. He doesn’t play by himself. He needs someone to load the bullets for him. I think the best way to stop him is to stop the source of his supplies. I think that's the challenge for anyone playing against Goa.”