Mumbai FC battle history against distraught Dempo amidst serious relegation fears

by Kaushal Shukla May 17, 2015

Mumbai F.C travel to bottom club Dempo S.C in a relegation six pointer at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Goa in a game which could make or break the fortunes of the two clubs. The game may go a long way in not just deciding the futures of these two clubs in the I-League but also on an overall basis as relegation could spell the end for these clubs.

Form Guide
Sitting in ninth and eleventh places in the table, the form guide doesn’t show an impressive reading for either sides. Mumbai though are unbeaten in their last four games, have failed to register a win since February when they defeated newcomers Bharat F.C. making it a run of ten games without a win for the Mumbai side.

But on a positive note, Mumbai FC are unbeaten in their last four away games, each of which have ended in 1-1 draws. But their last defeat coincidently came in Goa at Fatorda when they were swept aside by Salgaocar.

Dempo’s form makes a slightly better reading with two victories in their last fives games although the other three games ended in defeat. Having lost the last two games away from home, Dempo will feel slightly better off playing at home, where they won their last encounter against Royal Wahingdoh.

But with just three wins all season long, the Dempo faithful will take nothing for granted.

What the history holds?

If you are a Mumbai FC fan, you may be excused for looking away as the head to heads between the two sides makes a horrible reading for the Mumbaikars who have never ever beaten Dempo in sixteen attempts to do so.

Dempo have enjoyed success in ten of those occasions while the other six have been draws.

Most recently, Dempo outdid Mumbai FC with a last minute penalty at Cooperage which condemned Mumbai FC to a third defeat in four games then. But the Mumbai side has done well to earn four straight draws since.

Mumbai FC will feel there is no better time to end their Dempo hoodoo as the relegation battle has intensified with Mumbai FC and Dempo facing a real possibility of relegation with Sporting Club de Goa’s win over Mohun Bagan yesterday.

Team News

Mumbai FC have received a major boost with the return of Taisuke Matsugae in midfield after the Japanese suffered several weeks on the sidelines after his injury in Goa against Salgaocar.

The short break has enabled Mumbai FC to have a fully fit squad for this game apart from Nidhin Lal who has a hand injury. But Sanjiban Ghosh who was adjudged the Man of the Match against Mohun Bagan in Mumbai FC’s last outing appears to be an ideal replacement.

Dempo will be without Carlos Hernandez, whose penalty in the dying minutes made the difference between the two sides in the reverse fixture and Haroon Amiri who also had an impressive outing at Cooperage, miss out after being ruled out of the remainder of the season with injury.

Keys to success

Mumbai FC have avoided defeat in each of their away games in this season’s I-League in which they have been the first side to score.

Dempo have never lost a game in which they have scored a goal in the last five minutes of matches and have won 60% of those matches

A win for the home side will see them come out of the drop zone and could see them rise upto sixth position in the I-League. That will condemn Mumbai FC to the last spot.

On the other hand, a win for Mumbai FC could spell trouble for Dempo who would remain in danger as the Mumbai side could pull away as high as sixth.

A lot is hinged on this game not just for the two clubs involved but also for those around them. The match will be shown LIVE on Ten Action at 4 pm.