Atletico de Kolkata take on FC Goa in the first leg of the second semi-finals of the Hero Indian Super League at the Salt Lake Stadium.
After doing very well in the opening stages of the inaugural season of the Indian Super League, Kolkata seem to lose their focus towards the end, and this resulted in them barely scraping a place in the last four of the completion.
The Sourav Ganguly co-owned side have been nowhere near their best of late as they have managed to register only a single win in their last ten fixtures.
Due to this precise reason, there were suggestions of Kolkata being under tremendous pressure as they prepare for their semi-final clash against Goa, who have in terrific form of late.
But Atletico de Kolkata boss Antonio Lopez Habas dismissed these suggestions, claiming that his side are relaxed and focused ahead of their clash against Zico's side.
"If we are thinking about pressure then we should stay home," the Spaniard told ISL's official website, adding Goa are not the favourites in the semi-finals despite their recent run of form.
"I think there can't be any favourites in the semifinals of a tournament with such high competition. We are expecting an even game tomorrow."
Kolkata's marquee player also reflected Habas thoughts, saying any of the two teams could emerge victorious in the semi-finals.
"Goa have been doing pretty well in their past few games. But this is a semifinal game," the former Liverpool midfielder told ISL's official website. "They are here because they must have done something good, but we are also here; that says we did some good things too. We will try to focus on our game and try to play well."
Meanwhile, FC Goa will also certainly be looking to register a win in the first leg at Kolkata so that they will have an advantage when the sides meet in the second leg.
Zico's side, who has a very poor start to the inaugural season of the ISL, made a brilliant comeback in the latter half of the season, booking a place in the final four of the competition with a game to spare.
Considering the form they are in at the moment, Goa are certainly the favourites to progress to the final, but Zico and his boys will be wary of Kolkata especially after seeing Kerala Blasters beat ISL table-toppers Chennaiyin FC in the first semi-finals (first leg) on Saturday.
And FC Goa's marquee player Robert Pires despite insisting that they are confident ahead of their semi-final clash, insist that they are not taking Kolkata lightly.
"We started our journey with difficulties, the road has been long and tough, but here we are now in the semifinals, and we are happy about it and confident to put up a good show," the Arsenal legend told ISL's official website.
"But we are not over-confident. We know it will be very different and difficult match tomorrow, and we are prepared for it."
Goa have not yet been able to beat Kolkata as Habas' side were able to salvage a draw against Zico's side following a controversial penalty decision in their last fixture.
But Pires said that the result of the last game is not on their minds as they prepare to face FC Goa in semi-finals.
"Whatever happened in the last match is a matter of past. For our team, the focus is to reach the final in Mumbai."
Where to Watch Live
The game is scheduled for 7pm IST (1:30pm GMT, 8:30am ET) start with live coverage in India on Star Sports 2, Star Sports HD2, Star Sports 3, Star Gold, Asianet Movies, Suvarna Channel, Jalsha Movies and a few more channels. Viewers can also watch the ISL match via free live streaming online on Starsports.com.
US viewers can live stream the semifinal on FoxSoccer2go, while Europe viewers can catch all the action live on Eurosport or their online Player.
South Africa and Sub Saharan Africa audience can catch the ISL first leg live on SuperSport or their online option. Viewers in Australia can catch the match live on Fox Sports or via their live video option online. Middle East and North Africa viewers can watch the match on Bein Sports or via live streaming on Bein Sports Connect.
