ISL 2018/19: "Bengaluru FC is the yardstick," says ATK coach Steve Coppell

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Steve Coppell (Image credits: ISL)

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After a couple of losses at home, ATK finally got back to winning ways against Delhi Dynamos FC in their third game. Having shared the spoils with Jamshedpur FC in the fourth game, they got the better of Chennaiyin FC in their previous fixture. Steve Coppell's side will be on the hunt for two consecutive home wins when they face Bengaluru FC on Wednesday at the Salt Lake stadium.

ATK are now placed fifth in the standings with a total of 7 points from 5 games. A win against Sunil Chhetri and Co. will take them to the third position. Their English coach feels that the match against Bengaluru FC will be the real test for them. It will gauge how well the team is playing and is also a potential yardstick in the context of the league.

During the pre-match press conference, Coppell said, ”I think these are two good teams obviously as they are finalists from last year. I think Bengaluru is the yard-stick. You judge yourself by Bengaluru. They were the champions of the league stage last year.”

He added, “They started very well this year. You know they are there or thereabouts at the end of the season. We’re excited to play against them and judge ourselves against a good side.”

Meanwhile, Bengaluru FC have been playing impressive football with two wins from the three matches they have played so far. The runners-up from the last season boast of one of the strongest sides in the Indian Super League with the likes of Sunil Chhetri and Miku in their squad.

Surprisingly, Coppell admitted that winning on home soil is not an easy task in the Indian Super League and also conceded that the win in the last game will not boost them up in any way. “I don’t think one win at home is momentum at all. I think it’s just one win in isolation. In the ISL, it’s always difficult to win at home,” said the Englishman.

“Our aim is to win again. We practiced hard this week for this and we’re going into the game with anticipation. We’re looking forward to playing the match. The crowd last time was great and we hope,” he added.

Bengaluru FC were by far the most consistent side in the previous season and have played good football in the current season as well. With ATK also slowly finding their groove, the encounter between the two teams promises to be a cracker.

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