Top Draw: Atletico de Kolkata

Top Draw: Atletico de Kolkata

Yes, the champions from 2014 are likely to make it to the semi-finals for the third year in a row. Because their team's structure over the last 3 years have remained rock solid, and they have actually improved a lot this time.

All the best players from 2015, be it Iain Hume, Borja Fernandes or Arnab Mondal, are still with the franchise. And this time they have boosted their strength in every department by picking most of their players from the two major football clubs in Kolkata, East Bengal and Mohun Bagan, ensuring that almost all the players they have included in the team have a long history of playing with each other. In terms of team chemistry, this gives them a huge leg up.

And remember, their marquee Helder Postiga was having a pretty explosive game before being injured on the first night of the tournament. If he plays the entire competition this time, the ATK offence will be much more damaging than last year. 

Although they have lost their successful head coach Antonio Habas, the new coach Jose Molina is not bad at all and the support structure provided by Atletico de Madrid remains intact. So their performance level is unlikely to go down, and they will surely make the top four.