Stunned by NorthEast United in their opening match, pre-tournament favourites Mumbai City FC would look to bounce back when they take on FC Goa in the Indian Super League on Wednesday at Fatorda Stadium.

With two attack-minded sides going up against each other, the match is expected to produce free-flowing football.

For Mumbai City head coach Sergio Lobera, it will be the first time he will be up against his former club which he guided to League Winners Shield last season and to the group stage of AFC Champions League.

There will be the additional narrative to track on the fielod as former Goa players Mandar Rao Dessai, Hugo Boumous and Mourtada Fall could look to inflict pain on the home side.

The match is expected to see a lot of passes. Lobera has long been known for getting his players to spray the ball all around the pitch. During his stint as FC Goa coach, he averaged 535 passes per match.

Lobera has not been with this Mumbai team for long, but he has already started getting them to stick to his philosophy.

Despite losing 0-1 to NorthEast United, 10-men Mumbai City had more than 60 per cent possession and completed 451 passes to their opponents’ 217. No team has passed more in the league so far.

One team has come close though – Juan Ferrando’s FC Goa. In the 2-2 draw against Bengaluru FC, they completed 448 passes, more than twice what their opponents had managed.

Lobera, despite the loss, is happy with how the team is playing and believes that it is only a matter of time before goals start coming.

“We are the team with the most passes till now. You cannot just consider the shots on target statistics. We did some things very well. We played with 10 players and still dominated the game. But still, we need to improve,” he said.

The Mumbai City coach will be without suspended Ahmed Jahouh, arguably his most influential player, but believes his team can compensate for that.

“As a coach, I have good players and I am not scared of missing some of them,” Lobera said.

Moroccan player Jahouh was sent off with the referee showing a direct red card for his first-half reckless tackle on NorthEast United FC player Khassa Camara in the match on November 21.

For new FC Goa coach Ferrando, who turned the game around against Bengaluru FC with two brilliant second-half substitutions, worrying about what the opponent can do is a waste of time.

“My focus is on my team and I am not thinking about the opposition,” he said.

“The most important thing is to be positive, competitive, and win three points. Against Mumbai or any other team, our mentality will be the same – win three points.”

While history is not a pointer with two changed sides, FC Goa have faced MCFC 14 times in ISL and have beaten them seven times, while Mumbai have managed only four wins against the Gaurs. Known for their free-scoring, Goa have scored 33 goals in games against Mumbai while conceding just 14.

Squads (courtesy ISL official website):

FC Goa

Goalkeepers: Mohammad Nawaz, Naveen Kumar, Shubham Dhas, Antonio D’Silva

Defenders: Sarineo Fernandes, Aiban Dohling, Ivan Gonzalez, James Donachie, Leander D’Cunha, Mohamed Ali, Sanson Pereira, Saviour Gama, Seriton Fernandes

Midfielders: Alberto Noguera, Alexander Jesuraj, Brandon Fernandes, Edu Bedia, Flan Gomes, Jorge Mendoza, Lenny Rodrigues, Nestor Dias, Phrangki Buam, Princeton Rebello, Redeem Tlang, Seiminlen Doungel

Forwards: Aaren D’Silva, Devendra Murgaonkar, Igor Angulo, Ishan Pandita, Makan Chothe

Mumbai City FC

Goalkeepers: Amrinder Singh, Nishit Shetty, Vikram Singh, Phurba Lachenpa

Defenders: Amey Ranawade, Valpuia, Mourtada Fall, Mehtab Singh, Mandar Rao Dessai, Tondonba Singh, Mohamad Rakip, Sarthak Golui

Midfielders: Ahmed Jahouh, Bidyananda Singh, Bipin Singh, Hernan Santana, Raynier Fernandes, Rowllin Borges, Sourav Das, Hugo Boumous, Cy Goddard, Asif Khan, Farukh Choudhary, Vignesh Dakshinamurthy, Vikram Partap Singh, Pranjal Bhumij

Forwards: Adam Le Fondre, Bartholomew Ogbeche

(With PTI and ISL inputs)