Luis Garcia (left) and Baljit Singh Sahni during a practice session

Calcutta: A proper analysis would only reflect that Atletico de Kolkata are one of the teams in this ISL that don’t have too many star attractions as such, barring of course, their marquee player Luis Garcia. But given the performance they have put up so far in the competition, ATK have looked the toughest team to beat.

And importantly, they are the side that primarily rode team game instead of relying on big names in order to attain success.

As of now, they have been a very successful side… No second thoughts on it… But on Tuesday, probably the toughest game awaits ATK when they lock horns with the second-placed Chennaiyin FC at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, in Chennai, a venue where the Elanos have had got most things right.

What brings in some relief for ATK is the availability of Garcia, who had missed the last few matches due to a hamstring injury. The team management is trying its best to ensure the midfielder is there in the middle from kick-off itself.

Besides, the game will also be played on natural turf, not injury-risking artificial ones. But one concern for the visitors is their lack of practice on the eve of the game owing to overnight rain.

True, rain denied both teams practice at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, but it was learnt that the hosts still managed to find an alternate venue for training, which ATK couldn’t as there wasn’t enough time to do so.

That said, Antonio Lopez Habas’s men did go through the paces here at the Salt Lake Stadium before they left for Chennai on Monday morning.

“The decent amount of rest that we had has been pretty refreshing. We have worked on the areas we needed to and hopefully, we’ll be able to put up an even better show tomorrow,” said Garcia, on Monday.

ATK are banking on Spaniard Borja Fernandez’s abilities as defensive midfielder to keep Elano and Co. at bay and prevent the rivals from making forays into their zone.

The talented Jeje Lalpekhlua’s performance could prove to be vital for Chennaiyin, as he does have it in him to create panic in the rival defence. No wonder he is another option up front for Chennaiyin.

The home team will be high on confidence as they go into the game after registering a commanding 5-1 win over Mumbai City FC.

Also, ATK would miss the services of the in-form Fikru Teferra as he was handed out a two-match suspension by the AIFF on disciplinary grounds, something that should make Chennaiyin defenders breathe easy.

“Yes, it could be a different experience altogether playing without Fikru, especially against a very strong team. But you need to adapt keeping in mind all possible circumstances,” said Garcia.

At the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, Chennaiyin have won all their three matches so far, and their manager-cum-player Marco Materazzi will be very keen to get the better of the tournament’s top team on familiar home turf. He has every reason to have high hopes as his players are well on course to turn the venue into their fortress.

“People might think we only depend on counter-attacks, but we have scored many goals as of now, which proves counter-attack is not our only forte. We have showed quality going forward against Mumbai City and will try to repeat that tomorrow,” Materazzi said.

Against Mumbai City, Materazzi and his men were simply clinical. Elano, the tournament's top scorer at the moment, and John Mendoza, capitalised on the openings to destroy an opposition that boasts of players like Nicolas Anelka and Manuel Friedrich.

And with Materazzi being in the thick of things, Chennaiyin showed better co-ordination and cohesion in both defence and attack.

ATK, though, don’t seem to be overwhelmed with the presence of Elano or Materazzi. “In today’s world, you can analyse almost everything with the help of the internet… So, no special plans for anyone,” Garcia made it clear.