With the first semifinal ending goalless, the winner on Wednesday night will have a crack at the title when Atletico de Kolkata visits FC Goa at the Nehru Stadium in the Indian Super League.
And Kolkata’s task will be all the more tough as it will be without Fikru Lemessa whose absence was felt in the first leg.
India striker Mohd Rafi, used in his place as the central striker at the Salt Lake stadium, did not evoke the same anxiety level as the muscular African does in rival defenders.
FC Goa’s defensive formation used the breathing space to close in on the playmakers in ATK’s midfield, kept them under close watch and was rewarded with an away draw.
“Fikru will not play and is not travelling with the team,” said Antonio Habas, the ATK coach. “Rafi has improved a lot in the last week of the tournament and we feel he is ready to be given responsibility.”
Habas refused to be drawn into a discussion about his team’s composition. .
With no Fikru around, the onus will be on midfield creators Luis Garcia and Borja Fernandez to get into scoring positions.
Both have demonstrated goal-getting ability in the league phase and excel in sneaking in for clever shots at target. Asked about the injury status of players in his line-up, Habas said, “We are trying to make as many players recover and get match fit as possible. The intensity shown in the home semifinal will be maintained. (FC) Goa is a difficult opponent and playing at home, so we know what to expect.”
Meanwhile Goa’s coach, Zico broke into a smile when discussing the Fikru Lemessa effect. “He is an experienced player, because he disturbs the defence and is also an artiste. You must have seen the way he acted to send out our player (Bruno Pinheiro).”
The Portuguese midfielder got red-carded in the league and missed the first semifinal.
When the Brazilian was informed about Fikru not being in the squad, he did not respond. When pressed further if the Ethiopian sitting out would benefit Goa, Zico replied: “If they play with 10 players, then it can be said to be an advantage for us. Kolkata has 11 players on the field, they want to win and so do we.”
Zico was not surprised at ATK’s defensive game in the away semifinal and expects the trend to continue. “Kolkata had little option but to play a close game without Fikru in the forwardline. We have prepared well and are ready for anything.”
