Jamshedpur FC vs ATK Mohun Bagan FC: 5 Things to Expect from the ISL match

In the twentieth match of the Indian Super League 2021-22 Jamshedpur FC will take on ATK Mohun Bagan FC at the GMC Bambolim Athletic Stadium, Goa. A win for Jamshedpur FC will see them go above the Mariners on the table.

Owen Coyle's men are still unbeaten in the tournament and are chasing their second win for the season. Their opponents, ATK Mohun Bagan FC on the other hand are coming from a 1-5 drubbing against Mumbai City FC. The Green and Maroon Brigade will hope to forget their previous match and will look to get back into the winning ways.

This high voltage clash will be determined by many factors so, therefore, we at The Bridge point out the things that we can expect from this marquee clash.

Habas will look iron out the mistakes in the back

Whenever a football enthusiast hears Antonio Lopez Habas's name the first thing that comes to his mind is the defensive stability and solidarity of his team but this season surprisingly these things are missings. ATK Mohun Bagan conceded 5 goals in the last match and in overall they have conceded 7 goals in 3 matches this season. This points out their weakness at the back. The Green and Maroon Brigade lost their star Sandesh Jhingan who moved to Croatia. On top of that their leader of the defence, Tiri hasn't been able to play a single match up until now, which has worsened their condition.

Habas used McHugh in the centre defence but the Irishman is looking out of position. Deploying Manvir and Liston as the wingbacks left too much space in the wings to exploit. Earlier this season, ATK Mohun Bagan secured the services of Deepak Tangri but instead of using him as a centre back, the Spanish gaffer is using him in the midfield as a counter-pressing agent. All these things combined made the situation worse for ATK Mohun Bagan. But the positive thing for the Mariners is that they have a very good depth in their squad which can be utilised in this situation. The veteran coach will have to make some tough calls to iron out the mistakes at the back.

Jamshedpur forwards has been very wasteful in the last matches

Jamshedpur FC is in fifth place and is still unbeaten in the tournament with two draws and one win but had their forwards taken their chances properly they would have been in a far better position. In both the matches which JFC drew, they created far better chances than their opponents but poor finishing from their forwards cost them 4 points.

Owen Coyle's team is known for their fluid attacking football, so it is expected that they will garner a lot of opportunities in the next match. But if they don't address their mistakes, ATK Mohun Bagan will surely punish them.

Hugo Boumous-Roy Krishna duo will be a handful for Jamshedpur

Hugo Boumous and Roy Krishna are arguably the two best players in the history of the Indian Super League. ATK Mohun Bagan did the unthinkable possible when they roped in Boumous to create a deadly pair with Roy Krishna. the duo has already contributed 5 goals in 3 matches.

Coming from a game where they didn't contribute a single goal, they will be eager to prove their superiority once again. Owen Coyle will have to come up with something special to stop this dynamic duo.

Greg Stewart can be Owen Coyle's main man

Greg Stewart is certainly one of the best signings in this season's ISL. The Scottish forward who has been the best performer for Jamshedpur FC has already assisted two goals while scoring one in the last three matches. He has been JFC's best creative outlet and Owen Coyle will put his faith in him.

Stewart with his pace and physical presence is a very tricky customer to deal with and can deliver killer blows to the Mariners. If JFC wants to have a good result from the ATKMB match, Greg Stewart's role will be very crucial.

Gre Jamshedpur's high press can be a dual-edge sword

Jamshedpur FC deployed an effective high press against Hyderabad in the last match, which made HFC defenders and midfielders fumbler a lot. As a result, JFC won the ball in dangerous areas and it was only due to their poor finishing that they couldn't pick up all three points. The Mariners on the other hand were the victim of Mumbai's brilliant high pressing and they suffered their worst defeat of ISL. This will only encourage Coyle to once again opt for a high pressing system.

But before doing so, he has to keep in mind that ATK Mohun Bagan is the master of counterattacks. If somehow the high press gets broken, JFC will defence will be exposed to a certain Roy Krishna and Hugo Boumous which can be fatal.

Possible Line-ups

Jamshedpur FC (4-4-2): TP Rehenesh (GK), Laldinliana, Gahlot, Hartley(C), Ricky, Seiminlen, Jitendra, Lima, Thatal., Greg Stewart, Nerijus Valskis.

ATK Mohun Bagan FC (4-2-3-1): Amrinder (GK), Prabir, Pritam (C), Carl, Subhashis, Lenny, Carl, Manvir, Boumous, Liston, Krishna.

Telecast

The match will be telecasted live on Star Sports 2 & Star Sports 2 HD from 7:30 pm IST and will also be available for live streaming on Disney+Hotstar and JioTV.