ISL 2018: ATK looks to return to winning ways against bottom-placed FC Pune City

Two-time Indian Super League champion ATK will look to return to winning ways when it hosts FC Pune City on Saturday.

Published : Nov 10, 2018 00:50 IST , KOLKATA

ATK players train on the eve of their Indian Super League tie against FC Pune City.
ATK players train on the eve of their Indian Super League tie against FC Pune City.
lightbox-info

ATK players train on the eve of their Indian Super League tie against FC Pune City.

ATK will plot its return to winning ways when it hosts a depleted FC Pune City in the Indian Super League at the Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan here on Saturday.

ATK, which is placed seventh with seven points from six games, played its last match 10 days ago when it lost 2-1 to a formidable Bengaluru FC side. The Steve Coppell-coached outfit has got enough time to regroup during the Diwali break and will be raring to go against Pune City.

FC Pune City, which is slotted at the bottom of the table with two points from as many draws, has endured a poor season so far. Its woes seem unending as two of its key players, Diego Carlos and Marcelinho, are serving suspensions while Marko Stankovic continues to nurse an injury.

FC-PUNE-CITY
FC Pune City's Emiliano Alfaro will be keen to lead his side to its first win of the 2018 Indian Super League campaign when it faces ATK on Saturday.

“We are missing three foreign players and if you see we have had six different goal-scorers this season. And we will be missing three of them tomorrow. Ours is not the ideal situation to be in,” said Pune interim coach Pradyum Reddy.

"We need to have a positive outlook and try to get three points as that would allow us to move forward,” he added.

The home side will miss the services of striker Kalu Uche, who is likely to be out of action for more than a month owing to a grade three muscle tear.

Kalu-Uche
ATK's Kalu Uche is likely to remain out of action for over a month owing to injury.
 

ATK coach Coppell does not want his side to be complacent going into the tie. “We have to earn a victory. No one is going to give us a win and make it easy for us,” warned Coppell.

Two-time ISL champion ATK will be eager to will be eager to take an early lead and apply pressure on the Pune defence, which has conceded a staggering 15 goals so far.

Sign in to unlock all user benefits
  • Get notified on top games and events
  • Save stories to read later
  • Access to comment on every story
  • Sign up / manage to our newsletters with a single click
  • Get notified by email for early bird access to discounts & offers to our products
Sign in

Comments

Comments have to be in English, and in full sentences. They cannot be abusive or personal. Please abide to our community guidelines for posting your comment