ISL: Atletico de Kolkata seek elusive win against North East United FC

The standings may show them at the top but it is not all that rosy for Atletico de Kolkata and they would be aiming to end a four-match winless streak when they take on North East United FC in their return leg ISL fixture here on Tuesday.

Having started off with a bang that saw them occupy the pole position, ATK have started misfiring in the last couple of matches, picking their first loss of the season, a humiliating 1-3 defeat at home to Pune City FC. To compound their misery, ATK's Indian defender Cavin Lobo, who struck a stunning brace in Goa, has been ruled out because of a ligament tear and has been asked for a month's rest.

In such a scenario, Fikru Teferra is their only striking option but the mercurial Ethiopian, who was instrumental in their fiery start, has been struggling of late. Fikru had missed an open net in the goalless draw against Chennaiyin FC and coach Antonio Habas would find it tough to bring the team back to winning ways.

The defence, which was compact to start with, has also started crumbling following Denzil Franco's injury as his replacement Kingshuk Debnath has come a cropper. Debnath's bloomer cost the team in Chennai when his foul helped their opponents score in the dying minutes to salvage a draw. In another setback, ATK midfielder Mohammed Rafique may not be available as he has been shown the door for not attending the training session here on Sunday.