Guwahati: Having tasted defeat in the hands of FC Pune City in Pune by a lone goal, Atletico de Kolkata (ATK) will look forward to bounce back into the Hero Indian Super League (ISL) this season to maintain their unbeaten streak against Northeast United FC (NUFC), when they lock horns at Indira Gandhi Stadium here on Friday.
NUFC, however, are on a high, having defeated Chennaiyin FC 2-0 - their first win of the season after three defeats. Friday's match with the defending champions promises to be a high-voltage affair. With the return of Portuguese marquee player Simao Sabrosa after an injury layoff, NUFC's forward line has got a major fillip. The defence too has been fortified with Aiborlang Khongjee and Spaniard Andre Bikey joining the ranks from the last match on Tuesday.
ATK, on the other hand, will leave no stone unturned to regain their stronghold on the league and fulfil the wishes of coach Antonio Lopez Habas that they should not lose any more game in the league.
Habas said on Thursday: "It will be difficult game tomorrow. We had some problem in the team due to players' unavailability. But now, most of them are available."
He, however, confirmed that Arata Izumi, who was injured in the last match, will miss the match. Asked about Portuguese striker Helder Postiga, Habas said: "The reports are yet to come from Portugal. We are waiting for it."
The Calcutta outfit opened with a 3-2 victory against Chennaiyin FC and settled for a 1-1 draw with FC Goa in two away matches, before returning home to hand Kerala Blasters a 2-1 defeat. But then they faltered in Pune.
ATK now have seven points from four matches and are third on the table. NUFC have only three points from equal number of outings to be at the bottom.
Though the NUFC defence has been strengthened with the availability of Khongjee and Bikey, they will have to extra cautious against the ATK midfield attack of the Spaniard Borja Fernandes and Ofentse Nato, apart from Canadian recruit striker Iain Hume. Indian midfielder Arata Izumi will miss the game due to an injury picked up in the last match.
Habas will also have the option of Indian striker Baljit Sahni, who has served out a two-match suspension for breach of code of conduct during the match against FC Goa, to further strengthen the forward line on Friday. Another advantage for the visitors will be the defence strengthened with the return of Arnab Mandal after national duty.
The visitors will not only look forward to winning the match but also improve their goal average which presently stands at +1.
The Guwahati outfit had suffered a major setback with injuries to skipper Miguel Garcia, Kondwani Mtonga and Sanogo in the first three matches. NUFC lost 1-3 to Kerala Blasters, 0-1 against FC Pune City and 1-3 in the hands of FC Goa in the first three outings.
