Mohun Bagan hope for AFC Cup turnaround, face uphill task against KL City FC

In a rebuilding mode after the departure of some high-profile stars in Roy Krishna, David Williams, Sandesh Jhingan and Tiri, Juan Ferrando's side faced a rude reality check when they were eliminated in the group stage of the Durand Cup. A shocking 2-3 reversal against I-League franchise Rajasthan United in their season opener and a 1-1 draw against Mumbai City FC highlighted that they are still a team in transition. Despite some promising signings in Ashique Kuruniyan, Vishal Kaith, Asish Rai, Brendan Hamil and Florentin Pogba, ATK Mohun Bagan failed to score against East Bengal and an own-goal by their rival gave them a lucky 1-0 win in the season's opening derby.

The elder brother of World Cup winning Paul Pogba, Florentin, who came amid much fanfare, has so far failed to impress while the likes of Kuruniyan and Rai are still trying their best to forge a chemistry with Hugo Boumous and Dimitrios Petratos. In a vastly improved opponent in Malaysian Cup winners Kuala Lumpur City FC, Ferrando will have his task cut out if the side has to improve on its last season's show when it was hammered 0-6 by Uzbekistan's FC Nasaf in the 2021 Inter-zone semi-final. "I think these are different tournaments.

The Durand Cup is in the past and our focus is in tomorrow. It's the most important thing in football to think about the present and future," Ferrando said on the eve of the match. The Mariners had bounced back from a 2-4 loss to I-League champions Gokulam Kerala to defeat Bashundhara Kings and Maziya of Maldives en route to the inter-zone semifinal.

"The players are ready and motivated for tomorrow's game. They're thinking about the future as a club, and I hope tomorrow we'll be happy after the match," Ferrando said. Playing at