Delhi Dynamos coach Gianluca Zambrotta has agreed his team has a special motivation when it meets Atletico de Kolkata in a Hero Indian Super League clash at Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, Delhi, on Sunday.
Delhi Dynamos is leading the ISL table with 16 points and can open a four-point lead if it manages full points against Atletico de Kolkata, the only team who has defeated it this season.
“There is no revenge (on my mind) because it was a good match when we lost against a good team. There is special motivation for us to focus on this team because it’s a team against whom we lost. For this reason, we will try to concentrate on this game,” Zambrotta said during the pre-match media briefing.
Delhi Dynamos is the only team in ISL 2016 who is unbeaten at home. It clobbered Chennaiyin FC 4-1 in its last match at home and has been brilliant at home all season, scoring 11 of their 16 goals. It has also pocketed nine points at home, the most by any team at home in ISL 2016.
Much of Delhi’s success has been due to the goal-scoring prowess of players like Marcelinho, Richard Gadze, Florent Malouda and Kean Lewis. It is the only side to have three players who scored more than three goals this season with Marcelinho (5), Gadze (3) and Kean Lewis (3) striking form.
Zambrotta, however, did not laud individual performances and said his side team can still get better.
“I am happy not just about two players but the entire team. They are working sincerely. Of course, I am happy but we have to get better. If we work stronger day by day we have margin to get better,” said the Italian World Cup winner.
Atletico de Kolkata is coming into this game after an agonising defeat against FC Pune City when it conceded a goal at the end. Coach Jose Molina was disappointed with that result but has had enough time to work with the team.
“Losing to Pune was not good for us but that's football. We know every match is different. We trained during this week, got time to prepare for this match and we know it will be difficult game. Delhi are at top, may be they are the best team in the league right now, but we want to be there and fight tomorrow,” said Molina.
Molina will want his strikers to start firing, notably Iain Hume, the highest scorer of the ISL with 19 goals. This season Hume has scored all three goals so far from penalties and has not shown the form that got him 11 goals in ISL 2015.
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