Mumbai, Bengaluru eye three points as top-four battle intensifies

by Chittu Shetty January 16, 2020

Mumbai City FC take on Bengaluru FC at the Mumbai Football Arena here on Friday in their quest to claim a top-four finish in the ongoing Hero Indian Super League (ISL).

Coming on the back of back-to-back 0-2 defeats against ATK and Odisha FC, Mumbai City have given themselves plenty of work to do to regain their claim for the playoffs. They are fifth on the table with 16 points and have a game in hand over fourth-placed Odisha, who have 21 points. Bengaluru have 22 points and are placed second.

Bengaluru bounced back after their narrow defeat against ATK by claiming three points against FC Goa and Jamshedpur FC. Sunil Chhetri has scored three goals in their last two matches and a total of eight goals this season.

Midfielder Erik Paartalu is in excellent form for the Blues with two goals and four assists so far and Dimas Delgado leads the chart for most number of passes this season. The good news is that new signing striker Deshorn Brown will be available for selection for the visitors.

When the two teams met earlier this season, it were Mumbai City that edged a five-goal thriller 3-2. “Mumbai is a team that makes things difficult for us. They are a counter-attacking team. They pump long balls forward. You need to score first. If they score first, then they will wait and go only in counters. So, we will try and score first,” Bengaluru head coach Carles Cuadrat said.

Also Read: Official: ATK merge with Mohun Bagan to compete in ISL from 2020-21

Also Read: MDFA to host trials for WIFA Inter District Men’s Open Football Championship

For ISL fixtures, League table and goal scorer stats visit: Hero ISL

He added, “The league situation can change very fast. ATK looked good and now they have lost two matches. Odisha has suddenly started to improve. We have six games to play and if we are in a good dynamic we can be in the playoffs. They are going to try and start on a good note for sure.”

Having lost Paulo Machado to a long-term injury, Jorge Costa will look to mix up his options in midfield to find a creative spark that can unlock the difficult defence of Bengaluru. They will rely on their attackers to make amends for their defensive lapses and an end-to-end affair is likely when the teams take the field.

Amine Chermiti and Modou Sougou has six goals combined and the service from the midfield has been sub-par. Costa’s team has tried to use the flanks to good effect but overall, Mumbai City’s display in their last game against Odisha left a lot to be desired.

“It’s true that we lost the last two games. We didn’t deserve to lose against ATK and the last game against Odisha was probably our worst game in the one and a half years that I’m here. It’s difficult for me. I can’t explain what happened in the last game,” Mumbai City head coach Jorge Costa said.

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