Bengaluru FC are wishing for their first-ever win against ATK Mohun Bagan in the ISL at Salt Lake Stadium on Sunday to enter the playoff stages.
The Green and Maroons registered a 2-0 win over Odisha FC last week while the Blues beat Chennaiyin FC 3-1 in the Southern derby.
ATKMB vs BFC Match Details
Date: Sunday, 5 February 2023
Time: 17:30 (BST) / 22:00 (IST)
Venue: Tottenham Hotspurs Stadium, Tottenham
ATKMB vs BFC Match Preview
After picking up only one win from five games, Dimitri Petratos’s brace to secure the first win of 2023 against Odisha FC brought relief to the dressing room of ATK Mohun Bagan. They began the year in disappointing fashion losing to Mumbai City FC and then playing a goalless stalemate against Chennaiyin FC. Juan Ferrando’s side also struggled for goals in the past games but the Aussie became the finisher the team desperately wanted. Petratos opened the scoring in just the third minute of the game assisted by Hugo Boumous before sealing the result with ten minutes remaining from an Asish Rai pass. Recovering from the slump, the aim will be to carry forward the momentum to the remaining games for sealing their playoff place once and for all. Currently, ATK Mohun Bagan sits fourth on the table with 27 points and six points clear of Bengaluru FC who are aiming to displace Odisha FC for the last playoff spot. The Green and Maroons cannot think of anything else other than a victory in this game or risk losing their position on the chart. They are the third-best team in the league in terms of home form and have not lost against the Blues in all ISL meetings so far. But the away side’s change in form will be a thing of worry.
Simon Grayson’s Bengaluru FC are flying high as they look to make a late entry for the playoffs. They are now just a point away from their destiny with four games left to play. It was made possible due to a solid winning run which started with a 2-1 victory over NorthEast United in the first game of this year and has carried over four games. The 3-1 triumph over Chennaiyin FC last weekend showed their forward line is firing like never before with three goals scored in each of the last three games. A reversal in form for Roy Krishna and youngster Sivasakhti refiguring his prominence in front of the goal has boosted Bengaluru FC’s attack. The 21-year-old scored a fantastic double in the Southern derby getting chances to complete his hat trick too. Aside from the forwards, Rohit Kumar has also chipped in goals from midfield by scoring in three consecutive games. As a result, the Blues have scored more goals in this run (11) than they have done so early in the campaign (8). The manager will demand his team maintain their winning run on Sunday to move into the playoffs spot for the first time this season.
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ATKMB: WDLWL
BFC: WWWWL
ATKMB vs BFC Team News
Ashique Kuruniyan will miss the next three games for ATK Mohun Bagan including the match against his former club after being shown a straight red in the win against Odisha FC. Liston Colaco will be back in the starting eleven to replace him. Glen Martins made his second debut for the club after his transfer from FC Goa and will keep his place alongside Carl McHugh in midfield.
Goalkeeper Gurpreet Singh Sandhu committed to a long-term future with the club keeping him until 2028. He is set to make his 123rd appearance for the club and his 109th in the ISL this weekend at the age of 31. Bengaluru FC also bought 23-year-old Ashish Jha from I-league side Sreenidhi Deccan to add to their forward line which is lacking depth. Roy Krishna will return to face his old club at the Salt Lake Stadium.
ATKMB vs BFC Predicted Lineups
ATKMB: Vishal Kaith; Asish Rai, Pritam Kotal, Brendan Hamill, Subhasish Bose; Carl McHugh, Glan Martins; Manvir Singh, Hugo Boumous, Liston Colaco; Dimitri Petratos
BFC: Gurpreet Singh Sandhu; Alan Costa, Sandesh Jhingan, Parag Srivas; Prabir Das, Suresh Wangjam, Javi Hernandez, Rohit Kumar, Roshan Singh; Roy Krishna, Sivasakhti Narayanan
ATKMB vs BFC Dream11 Team Prediction
GK: Gurpreet (8.5)
DEF: Asish (8.5), Jhingan (8.5), Bose (9)
MID: Roshan (8.5), Rohit (6.5), Boumous (9), Javi (9)
FW: Krishna (9), Petratos (9), Sivasakhti (7.5)
Vice-captain: Roy Krishna
Captain: Dimitri Petratos
Stay tuned to Fantasy Football for upcoming matches.
