Robbie Fowler plays the underdog, Antonio Lopez poses as the watchful adversary. That’s how the rival coaches in ISL’s first-ever Calcutta Derby, to be played at the Tilak Maidan in Vasco, Goa, placed themselves on the eve of the match.

East Bengal and Mohun Bagan had to wait for six years before they managed to set foot in the country’s top flight league. Rechristened SC East Bengal and ATK Mohun Bagan, the two teams have chosen to tread the cautious path before the marquee clash.

“We are a new team and we are massively underdogs, but sometimes underdogs win. We will try to give confidence to the players as much as we can. ATK Mohun Bagan are a new entity but they are a team who have been together for a good few years and they are well organised, champions last year. But underdogs sometimes do cause upsets,” SC East Bengal coach Fowler said on Thursday.

ATK Mohun Bagan’s Antonio countered: “We respect all the East Bengal players. They have good players. We also have good players. To build a good team, one doesn’t only depend on having good players, but also on the concept of football and the style of play. That differentiates a big team from the other teams.”

ATK Bagan have already played one match in the league, against Kerala Blasters, and won it too. SC East Bengal are yet to kick the ball this season. Is that an advantage for Fowler, that he can assess the opponents but the opponents cannot do the same? Fowler agreed.

“The advantage is that we probably know a bit more about ATK Bagan than they do about us. We are prepared in that way. For the disadvantages, we have never played before so we may go into the game a bit rusty. ATK Bagan have played a game, so they probably know a bit about themselves. But it is never about the opposition, it is about what we can do,” he said.

Fowler on Maradona

In the pre-match media conference, former England and Liverpool star Fowler was asked about Diego Maradona, who passed away on Wednesday. He replied: “It is incredibly sad. He is arguably one of the greatest players ever. It is such a sad thing. I was lucky enough to meet him a few times and actually found him to be a remarkable man as well.

“It is a real loss for football. Whenever we talk about the great players in the history of football, Diego will rightly be revered as one of the best ever.”