Mohun Bagan look to remain atop against NorthEast

MARGAO: ATK Mohun Bagan will look to keep the pressure on the top spot up when they clash with NorthEast United in their next Indian Super League (ISL) match at the Fatorda Stadium on Sunday.

Just once point separated table toppers Bagan and Mumbai City FC before the start of the latter's match against Kerala Blasters on Saturday. While Bagan have 17 points, Mumbai have 16. But this may change by the end of the Mumbai-Kerala encounter.

Bagan ended the year at the top of the points table while Mumbai City have played one match lesser than Bagan.

Antonio Lopez Habas's Bagan have been strong in defence, having conceded just three goals all season but he will be hoping for a more efficient up front.

Bagan's strikers have been going through a hit-and-miss phase, with only three goals coming in their last four games. This was on evident in their previous game against Chennaiyin FC that ended in a goalless draw.

However, Habas is not worried. "I would be worried if we did not have the chances to score. In football, you can do in one moment, what was not possible for you in the three matches before. All situations are different situations during the 90 minutes," he said.

Roy Krishna has been the standout for Mohun Bagan this season, having bailed them out of stick situations a number of times with timely goals. He has scored the winner in four of the five wins they have recorded so far this season. However, he has not been in the best of form of late and has not scored from open play for nearly a month.

However, Habas maintained that goalscoring was a collective responsibility, not a single player's task. "I have to analyse the performance of the whole team and not just Roy Krishna. And the team's performance is 100 percent," he said.

NorthEast United, meanwhile, have problems of their own. After their early season form propelled them up the table, they've since lost ground and are winless in their last four games. Their coach Gerard Nus is aware that Bagan will present them with a tough test. IANS

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