ATK Mohun Bagan would be leaving for the Maldives on Saturday after almost two weeks of training camp. The 3-time Indian Super League winners are looking forward to their maiden AFC Cup campaign.
The Mariners are in Group D alongside Bashundhara Kings and Maziya. However, Bengaluru FC or Maldivian side Club Eagles would be joining them after winning the qualifier on August 15.
The club have improved considerably with the signings such as Amrinder Singh and Hugo Boumous from Mumbai City, Liston Colaco from Hyderabad as well as Finland international Joni Kauko. Will they pull off a dream run in Asia despite the absence of leader Sandesh Jhingan?
ATK Mohun Bagan will begin their preparation next in Maldives
After an almost successful season in the ISL, ATKMB is now fully focused on the next challenge – AFC Cup. The club has extended the stay of two of their most important players – David Williams and Roy Krishna.
However, the only problem would be Jhingan’s absence. But the inclusion of Amrinder Singh would be a major boost. The 28-year-old goalkeeper who joined from the double winners Mumbai City was a part of the Bengaluru FC squad that were AFC Cup finalists in 2016.
Singh has joined the Kolkata giants so as to succeed in his second attempt at winning the competition. However, it would be a headache for Antonio Habas about the selection of the goalkeeper – him or Habas’ favoured goalie Arindam Bhattacharya.
Recently, Williams extended his contract and is excited about his new challenge. He says,
“I like pressure and feel I can perform under it. But I am experienced and old enough to treat every game similarly so I’m not affected by the occasion.”
The new exciting signings Boumous and Kauko would be looking forward towards one of their biggest missions. Coach Habas is excited about them as he says,
“I feel they are very good players. Boumous was an important player in the ISL last season and Kauko is an important player for us because he has a good balance between attack and defence. I feel both these foreign players will be important for us next season.”
ATKMB face BFC/Club Eagles on 18th August. Then they face Maziya and Bashundhara Kings on 21st and 24th August respectively.
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