February 14, 2026 04:16 pm (IST)
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De Piero promises a contest for Kolkata
Kolkata, Oct 18 (IBNS) Delhi Dynamos may not have begun the ISL in the right earnest, but star striker Alessandro Del Piero promised that his side would be no pushovers in their game against Atletico de Kolkata on Sunday.
"I know it will be tough tomorrow, they (Atletico) are on a roll after winning back to back matches. But we are not here to participate, we are here to fight and show our best. I will be ready to do everything. Adjusting to the field without the warm-up was a little bit hard. I'm okay now, there's no problem. We will see tomorrow what's the best and good for the team," the star Italian World Cup winner told reporters in a pre-match press meet.
Dynamos were held to a goalless draw by FC Pune City in their opening match on their home turf. Though Del Piero came in as a substitute in the first match, he said that he would be in the starting line-up.
"It's the coach who will decide. We have to understand that it's an artificial turf, he will decide the starting line-up. But I would like to start," said Del Piero.
"It's been very good, I have spent more than four weeks in India. Now the league has started, it's the most important thing. We are a team who can play and win game. Everybody knows their job and we will try to do our best. We have a team who can play with or without me."
On ATK's star player Luis Garcia, he said, "Definitely it's first time for me and I'm sure for Garcia as well. We will try to find a solution to stop him. This is my priority and our priority. Play good and win games. All the teams have great players. Every game will be tough for everyone and not only for us."
Having played for Sydney FC for two years, Del Piero looked at ease with Indian conditions: "I've been in Australia for two years. We played all the season in summer time. There was 40 degrees. Yes, it's difficult but it will be same for all the players. The team which can have quicker players will have more chances."
Del Piero said the youngsters were giving their best which was a good sign for the country's football. "It's the start of a new project. I found really good players, they are ready to listen and give 100 per cent in every training. This quality is very important. They have the chance to improve a lot by the end of the season and reach a better level."
(Reporting by Arindam Basu)
Image: Wikipedia Commons
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