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The 2020-21 season of ISL kicked-off in Goa with ATK Mohun Bagan taking on Kerala Blasters at the GMC Balayogi Athletic Stadium. ATK Mohun Bagan head coach Antonio Lopez Habas sprang a surprise by benching David Williams, and partnering Edu Garcia upfront with captain Roy Krishna.
According to the ISL commentators, David Williams suffered a foot injury in the practice session, and head coach Antonio Lopez Habas didn't want to take the risk of losing a key player this early in the season.
While most of the ISL teams played practice matches among themselves, ATK Mohun Bagan did not as Habas didn't want early injuries in the team. The team has already lost Jobby Justin, and the two-time ISL winning coach seems to not take any further risks.
The duo of David Williams and Roy Krishna wreaked havoc last season, scoring 22 goals among them as ATK clinched their third title. They had formerly played with each other for Wellington Phoenix in the A-League.
ATK relied on counter-attacking football last season, with the telepathic understanding between Williams and Krishna proving to be deadly for the opposition.
Edu Garcia starts ahead of David Williams for ATK Mohun Bagan due to the latter's injury
Edu Garcia scored six goals in the last season of ISL, including one in the final as ATK beat Chennaiyin FC 3-1.
So far, Krishna is being tightly marked by Costa Nhamoinesu on the right hand side of the pitch, as Edu Garcia is looking to break on the other side. The Spaniard did create a good chance in the first half for his ATK Mohun Bagan.
ATK Mohun Bagan is finding ample amounts of space, with Krishna coming close to scoring twice. The Fijian has taken three shots with two on target. Kerala Blasters, on the other hand, haven't had a shot on target till half-time.
Both teams went into the tunnel with scoreline reading 0-0. It remains to be seen whether Antonio Lopez Habas takes a gamble by fielding David Williams as the teams change sides.
