The boys in red and white stripes will host Delhi Dynamos in match no. 24 of the Indian Super League (ISL) 2015 at the Vivekananda Yuva Bharati Stadium (Saltlake Stadium) on Thursday.
Defending champions Atletico de Kolkata have lost their momentum after starting the tournament on a good note. Having lost two back-to-back matches against FC Pune City and NorthEast United FC, the reigning champions are desperate to get their ISL 2015 season back on track.
This is indeed an important game for Anotnio Lopez Habas and his boys. If they lose this match against Delhi Dynamos, the gap will increase to five points between the two sides and it will cause further troubles in the near future for the home side.
The coach seemed to be undeterred even after losing two games in a row. Instead, he is confident of coming back strongly in ISL 2015. He also threw light on his team's performance last year as they had lost a bit of momentum during the halfway stage but ended up winning the ISL trophy in 2014.
"New game and another three points to play for. I'd prefer to talk about what is crucial or not [only] after nine more games. The situation now is that the team have lost two games but last season, I remember we lost three or four games but still managed to win the league. We have to be calm and progress every day, game by game," Habas told reporters on Thursday.
"In football, win, lose or draw is part of the game. I'm not worried about this situation. My team has no attitude, behaviour issue. Tactical discipline is the principle target for me."
Canadian forward Iain Hume was also present at the press conference alongside his coach. He has been taking extra pressure in the absence of Atletico de Kolkata marquee player Helder Postiga, who has been sidelined due to an injury. Hume has not found the back of the net yet in ISL 2015, but he is definitely looking for goals.
"First of all, it's hard to replace Postiga. He is a good footballer and his record is for everyone to see. Playing alongside someone like him makes the job an awful lot easier but when Helder got injured, we brought in Arata [Izumi], who stepped up and scored. I am just happy to be a part of the team. I am trying to score, it's not that I am not trying to score but I am equally happy playing as the main striker or as the number two," Hume said at the press conference.
"We are getting chances and we could have been up by two or three goals any other day. Like every other team in the league, we have got injuries of our own but we have a good squad and we are working hard to keep the coach's mentality and plans going forward."
