ATK Mohun Bagan star, Hugo Boumous has opened up on the upcoming 2022 AFC Cup group stage games, believing that they have enough quality in their side to not only qualify for the next round but to also top their group.
ATK Mohun Bagan cruised past Sri Lanka’s Blue Star SC and Bangladesh’s Abahani Dhaka Limited in the qualification rounds to qualify for the main group stage, with the Mariners being drawn in Group D of the AFC Cup alongside Gokulam Kerala FC (India), Basundhara Kings (Bangladesh) and Maziya S&RC (Maldives).
The Indian footballing giants are currently undergoing a training camp in Kolkata ahead of the tournament and Boumous has reiterated that they are the favourites to top their group if they play to their full potential.
The lads enjoyed some much needed gametime in a friendly ahead of our AFC Cup group stage campaign ??♥️#ATKMohunBagan #JoyMohunBagan #AmraSobujMaroon #AFCCup2022 #MarinersInAsia pic.twitter.com/bczBApct4g
— ATK Mohun Bagan FC (@atkmohunbaganfc) May 12, 2022
“Looking at the overall group strength-wise, we are the best team. If there’s no big upset down the road, we are going to top the group. The preparations have been relatively better compared to the previous season, we have won the last two practice matches and scored a total of eight goals. So, if we don’t qualify for the next round, we cannot give any excuses,” he said as per a club statement.
“We have seen video clips of the teams we are going to face. I feel that Basudhara Kings is the toughest of the three teams we are going to face, they are very balanced. After them, come Gokulam Kerala FC, who have played sensational football in the I-League last season and the current season. But, with the strength we have, we should not only be defeating Gokulam Kerala FC, but all the teams,” Boumous added.
The Mariners start their 2022 AFC Cup campaign on Wednesday, May 18 when they face fellow Indian side, Gokulam Kerala at the Salt Lake Stadium in Kolkata.
