Soumo Ghosh
AIFF Media Team

KOLKATA: Focus is the key for Mohun Bagan SG, said head coach Juan Ferrando on the eve of the Green and Maroons’ AFC Cup 2023-24 Playoff Round against Abahani Dhaka.

Mohun Bagan SG defeated Machhindra FC from Nepal 3-1 in the Preliminary Round 2 match last week, and a win in the Playoff will mean qualification for the group stage of the competition.

“They (Abahani Dhaka) have a good team with good players in their squad, so it will not be easy for us tomorrow. Both teams want the same target, the same goal, and the key for us will be to maintain focus for 90 minutes and beyond,” said Ferrando at the pre-match press conference.

The two sides crossed swords at exactly the same stage of the competition last season as well, with Mohun Bagan SG coming off with a 3-1 victory. However, Ferrando feels that it will be a different proposition for his boys this time round.

“It was different last season. They had a different team, so it’s very important for us to maintain complete focus and get the job done,” said Ferrando.

Asked about Abahani Dhaka’s strengths, Ferrando believes that the side from the Bangladesh capital are especially potent on the counter attacks.

“They are certainly very good at set-pieces, but one area where they can really hurt us is on transition. They’ve got fast wingers and forwards, and can control good spaces during transitions,” he said.

Mohun Bagan SG winger Liston Colaco feels that the team is confident ahead of the match, though he did admit that at a personal level, he needs to perform better than last season.

“We’ve had a good pre-season, and now we have played some good matches in the Durand Cup, so the boys are quite confident,” he said. “But the most important thing for me is to improve my game every season and give my best for my team. For me, the numbers have to improve than what they were last season, and it is important to focus on the areas that I did not perform as well and improve on them.”

Abahani Dhaka head coach Mario Lemos was in the mood to egg his side on, and made a commitment that his players are “ready to die for the team”.

“I don’t like to use this term out of context, but my boys are ready to die for the team tomorrow,” said Lemos. “Mohun Bagan are a good side, but we will be balancing between parking the bus and building our own attacks. The team need to put in maximum effort, maintain balance and discipline. We need to push their players to positions where they are not as comfortable on the pitch.

“If we are able to stop them for the first 20 minutes, and then start creating chances of our own, we stand a good chance,” he said.

Abahani Dhaka defender Rahmat Mia believes that it does not matter who plays well, only that who takes the win in the end.

“Mohun Bagan are a very good team and we respect them, but if they play well and we win at the end, we will take that,” said Mia.

Mohun Bagan SG’s match against Abahani Dhaka will kick off on Tuesday, August 22, 2023 at 7 pm IST at the Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan in Kolkata, and will be streamed live on Mohun Bagan SG’s Facebook page.