I believe in miracles: ATK coach Habas

Image
IANS Kolkata
Last Updated : Dec 15 2015 | 7:14 PM IST

Defending champions Atletico de Kolkata (ATK) coach Antonio Lopez Habas on Tuesday said he believes in miracles ahead of the Indian Super League (ISL) semi-final clash against Chennaiyin FC.

Atletico truly need something very special to overturn the three-goal deficit which they conceded in Pune in the first leg of the semi-final clash against Chennaiyin. The return leg will take place at the Salt Lake stadium here on Wednesday.

"Yes, I believe in miracles. We will have to attack, attack and attack and defend whenever we have the ball in possession tomorrow," Habas told reporters here at the pre-match media conference.

On losing two of their key footballers, namely Ofentse Nato and Borja Fernandez, Habas said: "It is not an excuse, we have 26 players in the squad, so we have no problem."

The Spaniard also believes the vociferous fans at the stadium will have a big role to play in the game.

"Fans, they are very important to us. Tomorrow we need support from the first minute till extra time, if we got to it," he said.

The 58-year-old also said they have forgotten the 0-3 defeat at Pune and are looking forward to a winning the contest.

"We are professional players, it's another game more. We will try and win the game, the loss at Pune is now gone. We have 90 minutes tomorrow so we will look to do well and win it," he said.

Speaking about marquee player Helder Postiga who is still recovering from an injury, Habas said:" He is still recuperating, I don't know, I guess it is not possible for him to play."

Asked who is he going to play in place of Fernandez and Nato, Habas lightheartedly said: "I would call Materazzi and say than saying it here."

*Subscribe to Business Standard digital and get complimentary access to The New York Times

Smart Quarterly

₹900

3 Months

₹300/Month

SAVE 25%

Smart Essential

₹2,700

1 Year

₹225/Month

SAVE 46%
*Complimentary New York Times access for the 2nd year will be given after 12 months

Super Saver

₹3,900

2 Years

₹162/Month

Subscribe

Renews automatically, cancel anytime

Here’s what’s included in our digital subscription plans

Exclusive premium stories online

  • Over 30 premium stories daily, handpicked by our editors

Complimentary Access to The New York Times

  • News, Games, Cooking, Audio, Wirecutter & The Athletic

Business Standard Epaper

  • Digital replica of our daily newspaper — with options to read, save, and share

Curated Newsletters

  • Insights on markets, finance, politics, tech, and more delivered to your inbox

Market Analysis & Investment Insights

  • In-depth market analysis & insights with access to The Smart Investor

Archives

  • Repository of articles and publications dating back to 1997

Ad-free Reading

  • Uninterrupted reading experience with no advertisements

Seamless Access Across All Devices

  • Access Business Standard across devices — mobile, tablet, or PC, via web or app

More From This Section

First Published: Dec 15 2015 | 7:08 PM IST

Next Story