Kolkata: Their qualifying hopes dashed, two-time former champions ATK will look to conclude their campaign on a winning note when they face an in-form Delhi Dynamos in the Indian Super League here Sunday.
ATK suffered a crushing 1-3 defeat to Mumbai City at home for their second successive loss and sixth overall to be eliminated from the playoff race.
For a brief period, after the season resumed in January, it looked as if ATK had completely turned things around.
With the signing of Edu Garcia, ATK looked like a potent threat, picking up an impressive 2-1 against Jamshedpur FC earlier this month.
However, dropping points at FC Pune City and then losing 0-3 at FC Goa meant they were back in the elimination zone before Mumbai completed the formalities in the previous match.
Under tremendous pressure, it would be interesting to see how ATK coach Steve Coppell manages the team against the resurgent Dynamos, who are on a six-match unbeaten run.
“Who knows whether or not I’ll be here next season. It’s not my decision. We still have one game left this season,” said Coppell. “The league will get more demanding so you need more good players who are resilient and have the ability to win games.”
“We haven’t been consistent enough this season and I didn’t feel our balance of the squad wasn’t there,” the Englishman added.
PTI