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The Away View: Chennaiyin FC vs ATK — Krishna-Williams partnership, faith in Habas and more
After a resounding victory against Hyderabad FC in their first home match of the season, two-time Indian Super League (ISL) champions ATK FC go again on Wednesday as they take on Chennaiyin FC at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Chennai.
Chennaiyin, who are also two-time ISL winners, have found the going tough so far, failing to put the disappointment of last season behind them. However, they will be keen on making a swift turnaround and getting back in the title contenders list.
ATK, on the other hand, put all doubts to rest with their huge 5-0 win in Kolkata. The win not only proved their attacking prowess. It also showed that the Red and Whites are one of the favourites for the trophy at the end of the season.
Ahead of Wednesday's fixture, The Bridge caught up with a die-hard ATK fan, Debojyoti Sarkar, who manages the ATK is in my DNA fan page on social media platforms, to discuss his team's performance against Hyderabad, the Chennaiyin match and the fans' faith in Antonio Habas. Following are excerpts:
Q> After a loss to start the season, how pleasing was the 5-0 win over Hyderabad?
The 5-0 victory was a big morale booster for both the team and the fans. We lost against the Blasters but our boys didn't deserve to lose given the quality of gameplay they showed. The huge victory which followed gave the team justice and that's a scoreline we all fans will look up to for the games to come.
Q> Chennai are two-time champions themselves, but they started the season poorly. Do you think they can challenge ATK today on the pitch?
Definitely, they will come with all their guns blazing. A poor start will push the team a bit more to get their first win in front of the home crowd. ATK will have to play an extra cautious game at the back because Chennai are never likely to go winless in three back-to-back games.
Q> Roy Krishna and David Williams combo is looking deadly, will they get on the scoresheet today?
Roy and David's partnership is the key to ATK's success. They are doing their job in the best possible way, and we expect them to be there on the scoresheet every time they step on the field.
Q> Who will be Chennaiyin's main players today, who could possibly cause heartbreak?
Goian and Chhangte. Goian with his huge experience will lead the team's backline and do every possible trick to stop Roy-David duo to find the back of the net. Chhangte, on the other hand, will be lethal with his pace and may cause great trouble to the defenders.
Q> Realistically, what could the scoreline look like today?
I will go for a 2-0 victory for ATK. Our defence is solid and hopefully, they can resist the Chennaiyin attack. It will be a tough task for CFC to keep ATK's attackers on the bay though because we have many players apart from Roy and David who can score too.
Q>Just how much faith do the ATK fans have on Habas? Can he pull it off?
Habas is a brilliant coach and tactician and we have 100% faith on him. He can and he will pull it off, this time and every time!