Football
AFC Cup 2021: Hugo Boumous and Deepak Tangri miss out in ATK Mohun Bagan's 22 man squad for the Inter-Zonal Semi-finals
Hugo Boumous and Deepak Tangri miss out on the Mariner's ATKMB Interzonal squad because of injury and suspension respectively.
ATK Mohun Bagan head coacch, Antonio Lopez Habas has selected the team for the AFC Cup Inter-Regional Semi-Final in Uzbekistan after a series of tests at a camp in Dubai. There have been some changes in the team. Joni Kauko, who has just played in the Euro Cup, and two wingers, Soosai Raj and Prabir Das, have been included in the squad. All three are in great form. FC Nasaf is a very strong team and it is a knockout match so Roy Krishna and others are very careful. That is how the ATK Mohun Bagan coach is making the strategy. This match is especially important for Kauko.
This is the first chance for the high-profile footballer to prove himself. He is going to make his debut in the Green-Maroon jersey in the mid-field against Nasaf. Habas has experimented with the team in various ways in the last six days. After pointing out the opponent's strengths and weaknesses, the Spanish coach emphasized organizing the team's defense. David Williams, Pritam Kotal and others have practiced a lot of penalties. At least five talented junior footballers have been included in the squad to enhance their experience.
22 players selected for the team
Goalkeepers--Amrinder Singh, Avilash Paul, Arsh Anwer
Defenders-Pritam Kotal, Ashutosh Mehta, Carl McHugh, Subhasish Bose, Sumit Rathi
Midfeilders-Joni Kauko, Lenny Rodrigues, Liston Colaco, Prabir Das, Soosai Raj, Bidyananda Singh, Engson Singh, Sekh Sahil, Ravi Bahadur Rana, Abhishek Dhananjay
Forwards-Roy Krishna, David Williams, Manvir Singh, Kiyan Nassiri
The match also marks the return of the Michael Soosairaj after a long ACL injury. He has been named in the squad.Spanish defender Tiri, Star signing Hugo Boumous misses out because of an injury, while Deepak Tangri is suspended for the interzonal semi-finals. Euro 2020 star Joni Kauko will make his debut against the Uzbekistan team FC Nasaf on Wednesday. The Inter-zonal semi-final will be a one-legged affair and the winner of the match will qualify for the Inter-zone final against Lee Man, the Hong Kong Football club.
No Indian team has before won the AFC Cup, and ATK Mohun Bagan are just two steps from creating history, will they become the first Indian team to win the continental competition?