ATK Mohun Bagan resume their AFC Cup 2021 adventure as they take on Group F leaders FC Nasaf of Uzbekistan in the inter-zonal semi-final at Stadion Nasaf on Wednesday, September 22.
The Mariners have made a host of changes to the squad that participated in the group stage games. Joni Kauko, the Finland international who represented his country at UEFA Euro 2020, has been included in the team and so have Michael Soosairaj and Prabir Das.
The Indian Super League side has been putting extra effort in training to understand the strengths and weaknesses of their opponent and head coach Antonio Lopez Habas is hoping to use Kauko’s experience in that regard.
With only two more days to go for our #AFCCup Inter-Zonal Semi-Final, we look back at our journey so far! ⚽️🔥#ATKMohunBagan #Mariners #JoyMohunBagan #IndianFootball pic.twitter.com/fcsEZLMEKW
— ATK Mohun Bagan FC (@atkmohunbaganfc) September 20, 2021
Kauko, who has more than 300 club appearances under his belt, is certain to use his expertise as he looks to dominate and control the midfield for his team.
The match will also see former Wellington Phoenix teammates Roy Krishna and Andrija Kaluderovic going against each other. The duo enjoyed a fruitful partnership during their time in Australia’s A-League in the 2017-18 season and the two are set to share the field once again, albeit in different colours.
“It’s really unusual,” Kaluderovic told AFC.com. “He’s from Fiji, I’m from Serbia. That’s a long distance by itself.
“We played together in New Zealand, and now after four years we are playing against each other in Uzbekistan, with him playing in an Indian team and me in an Uzbek team. It’s very strange.
“It will be nice to see him and talk to him. He’s a very good player,” he added.
ATK Mohun Bagan squad for FC Nasaf match
Goalkeepers: Amrinder Singh, Avilash Paul, Arsh Anwer;
Defenders: Pritam Kotal, Ashutosh Mehta, Carl McHugh, Subhasish Bose, Sumit Rathi;
Midfielders: Joni Kauko, Lenny Rodrigues, Liston Colaco, Prabir Das, Michael Soosairaj, Bidyananda Singh, Engson Singh, Sekh Sahil, Ravi Bahadur Rana, Abhishek Dhananjay;
Forwards: Roy Krishna, David Williams, Manvir Singh, Kiyan Nassiri
Where to watch FC Nasaf vs ATK Mohun Bagan live in India?
FC Nasaf vs ATK Mohun Bagan AFC Cup 2021 inter-zonal semi-final will be telecast live from 8:30 PM IST on Star Sports 2 and its corresponding HD TV channel in India. For regional commentary, you can switch to Star Sport 3.
Live streaming of the FC Nasaf vs ATK Mohun Bagan match will be available on the Disney+ Hotstar app and website.
Featured photo: Twitter / ATK Mohun Bagan
