Gaurs in Search of Second Successive Victory over ATK

PANJIM:
The Gaurs will begin their quest for the Hero Super Cup with a mouth watering tie against ATK at the Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneswar on 3rd April 2018.
Having failed to register a win against the two time ISL champions on 9 occasions, Sergio Lobera’s charges finally got the elusive victory against their Bengal rivals at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Fatorda during the league stage of the ISL with a thumping 5-1 victory. The Gaurs reached the semi-finals of the tournament for the third time in four tries while ATK finished outside the top four for the first time in their history.
With Indian football legend, Derrick Pereira taking charge of the team in the absence of Sergio, a lot is expected from the ISL semi-finalists. The Gaurs will feel the absence of Moroccan midfielder Ahmed Jahouh who will not play a part in the Super Cup along with Mark Sifneos.
Naveen Kumar was excellent in goal for the Gaurs during the latter part of the ISL and managed two clean sheets. A late Robbie Keane strike in Goa denied the goalkeeper a third. He is likely to start in goal ahead of Laxmikant Kattimani. Sergio Juste was superb in defence for the men in blue along side Chinglensana Singh but with Bruno Pinheiro and Ali Mohammed both fit, it will be interesting to see what pairing the Goan coach picks. Seriton Fernandes and Narayan Das will slot into the full back positions.
Edu Bedia will occupy a position in midfield alongside Pronay Halder who also stood up and delivered strong performances towards the end of the ISL campaign. The duo will be responsible for keeping the ball moving and providing the forward players with intricate passes. Hugo Boumous brought a different dimension to the team’s style when he came into the team midway through the season.
Having scored a couple of goals and provided assists, he was vital to the team’s chances and his absence was felt in the first leg of the semi-finals against Chennaiyin FC. He will start in the attacking midfield position alongside Mandar Rao Dessai and Manuel Lanzarote while Brandon Fernandes could also feature. ISL top scorer Ferran Corominas will lead the attack for the side ahead of Indian national team striker Manvir Singh.
ATK were forced to play a qualifier to get to the main draw of the competition and they dispatched Hero I-league side Chennai City FC 4-1 to book their meeting with the Gaurs. They are lead by captain and coach Robbie Keane who is still a potent attacking threat up front. With Indian players like Bipin Singh, Jayesh Rane, Debjit Majumder and Ashutosh Mehta complementing foreigners like Sibongakonke Mbatha and Zequinha, ATK will pose a serious threat to the Gaurs’ chances.