No pressure for us in Bagan’s bastion: Mumbai City’s Kratky

Petr Kratky

Mumbai City FC head coach Petr Kratky has played down concerns of facing a capacity crowd at the Salt Lake Stadium against the Mohun Bagan Super Giant (MBSG) in the Indian Super League (ISL) 2023-24 final on Saturday. Kratky, whose team lost the title decider on this ground 2-1 against the Mariners last month, is confident of recovering from that loss to emerge as the ISL Cup winners.

"Our players are all used to playing in front of full stadiums. In fact, it gives us extra motivation to do well, because that's why we play football. We can't wait to play football our way, and if we focus on winning the game, everyone will enjoy it. I don't think there's extra pressure here. If anything, we are going to enjoy the moment," Kratky said in the pre-match press conference.

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His counterpart Antonio Lopez Habas, the Mariners' head coach, refrained from naming any favourites for the title. Mohun Bagan Super Giant have a power-packed squad, with strikers Jason Cummings and Dimitrios Petratos in red-hot form.

Similarly, their captain Subhasish Bose has become only the second-ever player, after Chennaiyin FC's Ryan Edwards, in league history to record over 25 blocks and interceptions (25 and 31 respectively) in a single ISL season. However, Habas, who has already won three ISL titles, knows that merely a strong squad doesn't guarantee success. The tactical shake-up he gave this team following his mid-season appointment has been critical to their turnaround since February.

"There are no favourites for the final; neither do I want to be the favourite for the final. We are stronger than last season. Mumbai City FC, too, have grown a lot in this period. With good players, you need a good organisation as well to succeed. You need strong commitment from the players on the field, on that given day," Habas signed off.