After back-to-back stalemates, NorthEast United will be desperate for a win to enhance its playoff chances when it hosts ATK in its Indian Super League (ISL) fixture here on Saturday.
Both teams are on an unbeaten run of four games and while NorthEast was held to draws by Jamshedpur FC and Bengaluru FC in their last two fixtures, ATK’s visit will be on the back of a thrilling 3-2 victory over Chennaiyin FC.
NorthEast is third on the league table with 19 points after 10 matches, with ATK not far behind at 6th place — with 15 points after the same number of games.
The Highlanders’ best ever points tally in the ISL was way back in 2015 when it finished fifth with 20 points.
A win on Saturday will make it its best ever ISL season, something Eelco Schattorie will be keen to achieve in order to highlight the progress the team has made under him.
In its last match, the Highlanders dominated and would have handed Bengaluru its first defeat of the season if not for an acrobatic injury-time equaliser by Chencho Gyeltshen.
Despite the late equaliser, Schattorie will have had plenty of positives to note down from the match. However, the Dutchman is concerned about fatigue building up, given this will be his team’s third match in eight days.
“I am worried that my biggest opponent tomorrow is fatigue. My goal is to stay in the top four but it is a huge task,” Schattorie said.
“Jamshedpur, Bengaluru and ATK have the same structure of defending. They all play 4-2-3-1 or 4-4-2, it’s almost the same. But their offensive strategy is completely different from all the other teams.
“So for us, it will be difficult to open. But at least we had two games in row which are similar to ATK before this. So the players are used to that,” he added.
With three goals and five assists, Uruguayan playmaker Federico Gallego has been its engine so far. He has emerged as one of the league’s best midfielder and Steve Coppell will have a job in hand to figure a way to limit his impact.
ATK does have an answer to the guile and creativity in Manuel Lanzarote who had a stellar outing against Chennaiyin in its previous game where he converted two penalties.
Coppell would be hoping for the Spaniard to build on that performance. ATK’s season has been swinging like a pendulum. After losing their first two games this season, Coppell’s team has had mixed results.
“Sometimes it takes time to get to know to your squad. You need to know the key components of the team, finding the right combination and the variety of the team. You gather knowledge about the squad as the season progresses,” said Coppell.
But to its credit, it has only lost one match since its second-round loss to NorthEast United earlier this season (1-0).
“I certainly think both sides have improved since then. NorthEast have certainly grown in confidence. They have been winning games, they are a solid team, well disciplined,” Coppell said.
“Credit to the coach. Where they are in the league is not an accident. It will be a real tough game and I hope it will be a good game for the fans to watch.”
ATK’s full-backs Ricky and Ankit Mukherjee have both performed admirably but will be up against the equally impressive duo of Redeem Tlang and Lalthathanga Khawlhring.
With both the wide areas and the centre packed with exciting one-on-one contests, the winner of the tie will have to exude brilliance on the field to have an edge.
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