Match Preview: Mumbai City FC vs. FC Pune City on 18th October 2014 in Mumbai

by FC Admin October 16, 2014

Mumbai City FC looking for three points in first home game

Mumbai, 16 October 2014: Mumbai City FC would look to get their Hero Indian Super League campaign back on track on their home turf when they take on FC Pune City in their second game of the inaugural edition at the D.Y. Patil Stadium on Saturday evening.

The team, co-owned by Bollywood star Ranbir Kapoor and Chartered Accountant Bimal Parekh, did not get the desired result from their lung opener against Atletico de Kolkata on the first day of the inaugural edition of the tournament but there were many positives that the team could take from the encounter.

Mumbai City FC

Despite the absence of their marquee players Freddie Ljungberg of Sweden and Frenchman Nicolas Anelka, the team had 57 percent possession in the game and had more shots on goal that their opponents. The team management would be hoping to utilise the services of Ljungberg on their home turf.

The venue has been refurbished keeping in mind the requirements of the football fans and the opening match promises to be an unforgettable experience for the football lovers in the city.

It would be interesting to see what strategy coach Peter Reid adopts against a team that has shown that they can defend deep in their goal-less draw against Delhi Dynamos in the opening match.

The former Everton icon had played an attacking formation in Kolkata despite it being an away game and it is unlikely that Reid would be satisfied with anything but an aggressive approach from his players in their first home encounter.

The team would be without their injured skipper Syed Rahim Nabi, who injured his ankle in the opening game and has been ruled out for at least three weeks. This means that former German international Manuel Friedrich would have to shoulder the responsibility of guiding the Indian players and ensure that they play the perfect support cast to the likes of new signing Andre Moritz.

With the style of play the team has adopted in the competition, the role of custodian Subrata Pal would once again be critical for the team. The first choice stopper of the Indian team for a few years now, Pal showed why he is considered the best in the country during the encounter against Atletico de Kolkata. It would be interesting to see how he manages the movement of the back four so that the team is not caught out on a counter on Saturday.