The Indian Super League table clearly may clearly point towards a comfortable win for Mumbai City FC in this fixture but they come into this contest with their morale punctured by Delhi Dynamos on Tuesday. FC Goa, after winning their first point against Atletico de Kolkata, finally look like a side who have turned a corner. However, they need a win here to firmly establish that.
Mumbai, despite missing a few of their stars, got off to a solid start in their first three games, winning two and drawing one. They were stingy in defence and despite not scoring many, their attackers were doing just about enough to get them across the line. Alexandre Guimares' side have only got one point from their last two games, and come into this fixture after throwing a two-goal lead twice in a thrilling 3-3 draw against Delhi Dynamos.
FC Goa are at the bottom of the pile and are in search of their first win of the competition but they can take a lot of heart from the way they tormented Kolkata in the second half last Saturday. Mumbai may just be slightly over-reliant on playmaker Matias Defederico, who has comfortably been the side's best player this season.
Among the many issues that the beleaguered Goa are grappling with, only attacking midfielder Jofre looks like a certain starter. The side is crying out some personality in the final third. As for Mumbai, one expects Guimares to sort out his backline after their alarming collapse in Delhi.
Match facts:
Venue: Andheri Sports Complex, Mumbai
Capacity: 24,000
Time: 7 pm IST
Last meeting: FC Goa 7-0 Mumbai City FC, Fatorda Stadium, Goa
Head-to-head: Matches: 4, Mumbai wins: 1, Goa wins: 1
Predicted Lineups:
Mumbai City FC: Roberto Volpato; Aiborlang Khongjee, Anwar Ali, Lucian Goian, Sena Ralte; Krisztian Vadocz, Gerson, Pronay Halder; Boithang Haokip, Matias Defederico, Sony Norde
FC Goa: Subashish Roy Chowdhary; Keenan Almeida, Gregory, Rafael Dumas, Raju Gaikwad; Matheus Trindade, Pratesh Shirodkar, Richarlyson; Jofre, Robin Singh, Reinaldo
Key battles:
Sony Norde vs Gregory Arnolin:
Sony Norde is easily one of the best forwards in the league. Be it his pace or trickery, he can turn the game around in the blink of an eye and that is where Arnolin, with his experience, will need to be at his best to keep the Mumbai forward quiet.
Norde found his feet in the last game. He scored an exquisite goal and created plenty of openings. One of the most dangerous features of Norde is that he can pop up anywhere across the forward line. Gregory, meanwhile, has had a quiet start to this ISL. The French defender's power can't be underestimated.
Jofre vs Krisztian Vadocz:
Jofre from Brazil has been Goa's best player by some distance and earned them their first point this season against Atletico de Kolkata. Krisztian Vadocz comes in to the match on the back of scoring a double against Delhi.
Hungarian Vadocz is deployed in a much deeper role than Jofre, which means that he will be tussling for the ball with him. The contest will be altered by how this battle turns out. Jofre will need the support of his fellow midfielders, though.