Every game is a knock-out for us: Atletico de Kolkata assistant coach Bastab Roy

Antonio Habas’ men have not had much going their way this season until now

Atletico de Kolkata made a good start to the defence of their crown with seven points from their first three games before slipping to three straight defeats and dropping out of the top four. The Champions now travel to an in-form Mumbai City FC who have won three games on the spin.

Atletico de Kolkata Assistant Coach Bastab Roy wasn’t too disheartened with his side’s three losses and felt defeats were part and parcel of the game and showed confidence that his team would soon be back to their best.

“Defeats are a part and parcel of football. You win some, you lose some. Of course we don’t like losing matches, but I’m sure we will bounce back from it and soon will be back to our best,” said Roy at the pre-match press conference in Mumbai.

However, Bastab Roy did feel that his team must treat every game like a knock-out game and must be up for it.

“Our game against Mumbai City is a must win one. I would say all our games from now are a must win and we must treat them as a knockout game,” Roy added.

Cannot use injuries as excuse for our performances: Roy

Injuries have plagued Atletico de Kolkata’s season and key players have missed matches. Bastab Roy believed that injuries have taken their toll on his side’s performance but felt the other players in the squad are capable of beating any team in the league.

“For sure, injuries have affected us. But we can’t use it as an excuse. We have other players who are very good and we have confidence in them.”

But there was good news for Bastab Roy to share for the Atletico de Kolkata fans as he revealed that Javi Lara and Jewel Raja have been declared fit and will be available for selection against Mumbai City FC today.

“The good news is that Javi Lara and Jewel Raja are now fit. So they are ready to play. We haven’t decided on our starting eleven yet, but we are happy to have more options than the last game,” said the former Mohun Bagan player.

Sunil Chhetri will pose a huge threat to an Atletico de Kolkata defence which has looked slightly fragile off late, but Roy refused to single out any player as dangerous and said he prefers to focus on the team.

“We aren’t worried about just one player. They have many good players and most importantly they are a very good side. So we are focusing on the whole team and not a single player,” said Roy.