Northeast United FC and ATK Mohun Bagan lock horns in the first leg of the second ISL 2020-21 semifinal tonight.
NorthEast United FC will play only their second semi-final since the inception of the ISL in 2014. The Highlanders had earlier made it to the 2018-19 ISL playoffs.
After parting ways with head coach Gerard Nus in the middle of the league, the Highlanders have looked like a settled side. They reached the semi-finals after a comfortable 2-0 win over Kerala Blasters FC in their final league game.
ATK Mohun Bagan FC will play their first-ever semi-final tie in the ISL as a new side, following the merger between ATKFC and Mohun Bagan FC. The Mariners finished second in the league stage behind Mumbai City FC on head-to-head results. Head coach Antonio Lopez Habas will look to win his third ISL title with ATK Mohun Bagan FC.
NorthEast United FC and ATK Mohun Bagan FC have played each other on two occasions so far, with both being in the current season. The Mariners ran out 2-0 winners in the first game while the Highlanders registered a slender 2-1 win in the reverse fixture.
This will be the third meeting between the NorthEast United and ATK Mohun Bagan in the Indian Super League. Both teams have one win apiece, with the most recent match being won by the Highlanders (2-1).
This will be the first time ATK Mohun Bagan will make their appearance in the play-offs stage of the ISL. On the hand, this is the second time NorthEast United in the play-offs. Their first-ever semi-finals appearance was during the 2018-19 season. They won one and lost the other against Bengaluru, eventually losing their spot in the final due to a lower goal aggregate.
NorthEast United are unbeaten in their last 10 matches in the Indian Super League (W6 D4) and in nine matches since Khalid Jamil took charge, their longest such run in the history of the ISL. They have scored in all but one match during this run and have maintained two clean sheets during the same period.
NorthEast United and ATKMB have faced the least shots on target in the Indian Super League, 59 and 60, respectively. While the Highlanders have conceded 25, the Mariners have conceded just 15, the least by a team this season.
ATK Mohun Bagan boss Antonio Habas has a win percentage of 50 per cent against NorthEast United in the Indian Super League, he has won five and lost five. He has played 10 games against the Highlanders in which his team has scored 10 goals while conceding six.
Since the start of the 2019-20 season, ATK Mohun Bagan striker Roy Krishna has been involved in 39 goals in the Indian Super League (29 goals and 10 assists), 10 more than any other player in the ISL during that period. He also averages 4.9 touches in the opposition box per game, the most in the current campaign of the ISL. He has had 97 touches in the opposition box this season from 20 games.
NorthEast United’s Federico Gallego has created 14 big chances in the Indian Super League, five more than any other player. He has six assists to his name.
ATKMB’s Roy Krishna averages 4.9 touches in opposition box per game, the most in the current campaign of the ISL. He has had 97 touches in opposition box this season from 20 games.
changes each for the first leg of semi-final 2.
Grit & determination at the back, topped by the talisman upfront 
- No player has scored more goals against NorthEast United than Marcelo Leite 
influence the outcome of tonight’s game?
- Number of matches NorthEast United are unbeaten, their best run in the HeroISL 
