ISL 2020-21: Antonio Lopez Habas targets playoffs spot for ATK Mohun Bagan against Bengaluru FC

By Team Newsable | First Published Feb 9, 2021, 11:14 AM IST

ATK Mohun Bagan continues to hang in the second spot of the Indian Super League 2020-21 table, as it is well in contention for the playoffs. Meanwhile, it takes on Bengaluru FC in its next match, while Antonio Lopez Habas has termed the tie really important.

Indian Super League giant, ATK Mohun Bagan has an essential task at hand, as it takes on former champion, Bengaluru FC, at the Fatorda Stadium in Bengaluru on Tuesday. Both the teams are in the contention for the playoffs, as a win for ATKMB would virtually seal its place.

ATKMB is coming off an impressive 4-1 win over Odisha FC. However, head coach Antonio Lopez Habas has warned that Bengaluru would be a different side altogether, as he aims for a win, to seal the playoffs spot. At the same time, he is not concerned about the top spot, currently held by Mumbai City FC.

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"The target is to be in the playoffs mathematically, and after that, we are thinking about the first position in the regular league, after that the semi-finals and after that, the final, if possible. It (top of the league finish) also depends on Mumbai to lose some matches, but we have to go match by match and we are not thinking too far ahead," he said during the pre-match press conference.

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"We can have no excuses (about the fixture list). The competition is like this and we have to compete, giving our 100 per cent. We look at the competition day-by-day and match-by-match. Now, the Bengaluru match is another match, but it's never the same match," he added.

Furthermore, Habas has warned that Bengaluru skipper, Sunil Chhetri, is currently the best Indian player and could be the driving factor on Tuesday. "I think Sunil is the best player in India. It's clear with his trajectory. At this moment, he is the balance in his team. Bengaluru may have difficulties, but Chhetri is always positive," he concluded.

Watch the full press conference by Habas here:

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