ISL Season 8: ATK Mohun Bagan will face arch-rivals SC East Bengal in the second leg of the Kolkata Derby in the Indian Super League on Sunday. But before that ATK Mohun Bagan have suffered a massive blow as they will be missing their talisman, Roy Krishna upfront due to a hamstring injury. Follow all the ISL 2021-22 Live Updates only on InsideSport.IN
Reports suggest that Roy Krishna won’t be starting the game as he and head coach Juan Ferrando does not want to aggravate the injury because then that will be a huge blow for the Mariners in their current campaign. Currently, Krishna is going through his recovery process but probably won’t make it to the big derby.
He certainly enjoys scoring in the Kolkata Derby. He has 3 in 3 already, can @RoyKrishna21 add more to his tally this Saturday? 🔥💚♥️
Watch all of Krishna’s goals against SC East Bengal!#ATKMohunBagan #JoyMohunBagan #AmraSobujMaroon #HeroISL pic.twitter.com/27OL2hUBJc
— Mohun Bagan Super Giant (@mohunbagansg) January 27, 2022
Krishna gave a decent account of himself against Odisha FC especially after recovering from COVID-19. He had a few shots in target, though he failed to break the deadlock. It looked like he pulled his hamstring in the game against Odisha FC as he was subbed out right at the hour mark as Ferrando understood the gravity of the situation.
Krishna’s absence will be a big miss for ATK Mohun Bagan as the Fijian has been in tremendous form and tends to score goals in the derbies. So he will be a big miss for the Green and Maroons on Sunday. Krishna scored in the first leg of the Derby guiding ATK Mohun Bagan to a comprehensive 3-0 win. In fact, the 34-year-old striker has scored in all of the last three Kolkata Derbies in ISL history. So it is surely a big miss for the Mariners and a great opportunity for the Red and Golds to make the most out of the situation.
Apart from Roy Krishna, Finnish midfielder Joni Kauko is also doubtful for the Kolkata Derby. He was down with COVID-19 aswell and has not trained for many days. However, we may get to see Kauko on the bench as he is not entirely fit to play the entire ninety minutes. The only good news for Juan Ferrando is that Sandesh Jhingan may complete his comeback in the Kolkata Derby as we may again get to see him pairing up with Tiri in defence.
Krishna’s absence will mean that players like David Williams will have to deliver. Along with the Australian striker, a lot is expected from the Indian duo of Manvir Singh and Liston Colaco.