"I grew up playing 7s football in front of crowds like these" - ATK Mohun Bagan star Ashique Kuruniyan on facing Kerala Blasters in Kochi

ATK Mohun Bagan will lock horns with Kerala Blasters in their second Indian Super League (ISL) 2022-23 match of the season at the Jawaharlal Nehru International Stadium in Kochi on Sunday (October 16).

The Kolkata-based club got their campaign off to a losing start against Chennaiyin FC last Monday (October 10). They will be keen to bounce back from the defeat when they face Ivan Vukomanovic's side in Kochi.

Addressing the media ahead of the match, ATK Mohun Bagan coach Juan Ferrando had this to his side's match against Kerala Blasters:

"It's a good match for us. Of course, it's an important match because we've come here to get three points, the same with Kerala and I hope it'll be an amazing match."

ATK Mohun Bagan succumbed to a defeat to Chennaiyin in their season opener but Ferrando explained that he is not prepared to dwell on the past. The Spaniard is rather focused on getting his team back on track. He said:

"It's a Championship, [we have] in front of us 20 matches. [Remaining] 19 matches are crucial matches. Every match is crucial. Every match is important because it's three points.

"We are ready to come here, to prepare our plan and to get three points. This is the most important, the past is not important. The most important thing is the present. We have a new challenge and new opportunity tomorrow."

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ATK Mohun Bagan's Ashique Kuruniyan on playing in front of Kochi crowd

Kerala Blasters fans love their local lads as evident from the love they showed to East Bengal's VP Suhair before kick-off last week. However, the Manjappada treated the forward like any other rival player during the 90 minutes of the game, raising chants against him.

ATK Mohun Bagan Ashique Kuruniyan could be in line for similar treatment when he steps foot on the turf in Kochi on Sunday. However, responding to a question posed by Sportskeeda, the player insisted that he is not fazed about playing in front of the Manjappada fans:

"As far as I'm concerned, the atmosphere does not worry me because I hail from Malappuram, I grew up playing 7s football in front of crowds like these. I've heard chants against me from the time I was 15 years old."

Ashique has notably been linked with a move to Kerala Blasters on numerous occasions in the past. The winger, though, was in no mood to entertain questions about the same during the press conference.

Asked if he would consider a transfer to Kerala Blasters in the future, the ATK Mohun Bagan man said:

"I'm contracted to a club right now, I have a five-year contract. Let's think about it later."

It is only a matter of time before the match between ATK Mohun Bagan and Kerala Blasters kicks off in Kochi. It remains to be seen if Ferrando and Co. can bounce back from their defeat to Chennaiyin with a win on Sunday.