ISL 2018-19: Bengaluru FC vs ATK | Match Preview, Predictions, Venue & Where to watch details

Will Bengaluru FC be able to get back to winning ways against ATK? [Image: ISL]

Sree Kanteerava Stadium of Bengaluru is the venue for Thursday's action, to host the encounter between current runners-up Bengaluru FC and two-time champions ATK.

Bengaluru FC has had an unbeaten run so far in the league. No team has so far been able to get ahead of Chhetri and boys at the final whistle. Apart from the draw against Jamshedpur, the Blues had emerged winners in all the matches before their last two fixtures which resulted in a draw.

Bengaluru FC still stands at the top of the table with 24 points from 10 matches, one less than the other. The 7 wins have assured that they do not lose the primary position, easily.

ATK, on the other hand, haven't been consistent throughout the season. Even after consecutive wins, the team lost valuable points through draws. Still, manager Steve Coppell is well aware of the narrow door for the semi-final spot, which will be his sole objective.

The Kolkata club are now 6th on the points table, with 16 points from 4 wins and 4 draws and 3 losses. Though positioned at No.6, a win will keep them in the competition for the mid-table. Hence, a win will be important for the red and whites.

Bengaluru FC vs ATK: Match Information

Date: 13 December 2018

Kickoff: 7:30 PM IST

Live Stream: Star Sports Network and hotstar.com

Live commentary on Sportskeeda

Venue: Sree Kanteerava Stadium, Bengaluru

Bengaluru FC vs ATK: Team News

Bengaluru FC

Bengaluru FC has two players missing from action. Harmanjot Khabra will be out with a card suspension and Venezuelan striker Miku is yet to come back from the injury. Kean Lewis is expected to take Khabra's position in the lineup.

ATK

ATK has a full squad available for selection. Pronay Halder will return from suspension for Coppell. Komal Thatal too might be given a chance instead of Balwant Singh

Bengaluru FC vs ATK: Probable Lineups

Bengaluru FC (4-3-2-1): Gurpreet Singh Sandhu, Rahul Bheke, Albert Serran, Juanan, Nishu Kumar, Kean Lewis, Erik Paartalu, Udanta Singh, Dimas Delgado, Chencho Gyeltshen, Sunil Chhetri

ATK (4-2-3-1): Arindam Bhattacharya, Ankit Mukherjee, John Johnson, Andre Bikey, Ricky Lallawmawma, Gerson Vieira, Pronay Halder, Manuel Lanzarote, Hitesh Sharma, Komal Thatal, Everton Santos

Bengaluru FC vs ATK: Form Guide

Bengaluru FC: D-D-W-W-W

ATK: D-W-D-D-W

Bengaluru FC vs ATK: Head-to-Head

Bengaluru FC: 3

ATK: 0

Draw: 0

Bengaluru FC vs ATK: Key Players

Bengaluru FC

Udanta Singh will be a non-stop threat to the ATK guards. The young winger is at the peak of his form and has scored 3 goals so far. Udanta’s pace will be a thing to watch out in the interesting encounter at the Sree Kanteerava.

ATK

ATK's crucial man on the field will be centre-back John Johnson. Against an attacking minded team like BFC, Kolkata will want their defenders to be perfect, which Johnson can take assure of. The former Bengaluru FC defender, familiar with the BFC tactics, might have a vague picture of the attacks that might come

Bengaluru FC vs ATK: Predictions

ATK is just a win away from getting back into the top 4 spot on the points table, which is certainly a difficult task against Bengaluru FC. However, two consecutive draws would have become a nightmare for Carles Cuadrat, which ATK can make good use of.

Either BFC will make a strong comeback, as they have always done or else the visitors will register their first win against the Blues - which has a greater probability.

Predicted Score: Bengaluru FC 2-3 ATK