Mumbai: Odds are staked against the hosts Mumbia City FC as they take on FC Goa in their fourth encounter in the Hero Indian Super league, here at the Mumbai Football Arena on Thursday.
Goa are yet to face a defeat in season as they have won one and drew two, while on the other hand Mumbai have lost, won and drew in their last three assignment this year.
Goa are in the third position with five points and a win here could take them on top of the table with eight points ahead of Jamshedpur who have seven points.
Mumbai are in the 5th position with four points, and a win here will take them behind Jamshedpur due to a poor goal average.
Jorge Costa will be keen to undo the mistakes of last season when Mumbai took on Goa.
Mumbai faced Goa on four occasions last season in the Hero Indian Super League including a two-legged play-off for a spot in the final. Goa defeated Mumbai on three occasions, scoring 12 goals in the process. The lone win (1-0) for Mumbai came in the second leg of the play-off after Goa had won the first leg 5-1.
Costa could not have picked a worse time to play a team which has proved to be thorny opposition. The Islanders come into this tie on the back of a 2-4 thrashing at home last week at the hands of Odisha FC.
Costa has a lot to ponder upon given the number of injuries, especially in defence where he is likely to miss Mato Grgic once again. They have had to field an all-Indian defence who will have to be on their toes against the attack-minded Goan outfit.
Star forward Modou Sougou too hasn’t recovered completely from his knock and that has further crippled Costa’s options in attack. Rowllin Borges, who picked up an injury before the Odisha game, will also miss out.
"I spoke to the players after the defeat against Odisha FC. We've to fix our mistakes and we've to be focused to avoid these mistakes. In football, if you're overconfident then it's a problem. I'm not expecting an easy game. But, I'm sure FC Goa also aren't expecting an easy game. We respect them and they respect us,” said the Portuguese.
Though Mumbai are known to sit back and stay organised, they have always struggled against the movement and guile of Lobera’s Goa.
However, the Gaurs aren’t exactly at their best this season. After a 3-0 win over Chennaiyin FC, they followed it up with hard-fought draws against Bengaluru FC and NorthEast United respectively. In fact, they needed a stoppage-time equalizer in both matches in order to at least pick up a point.
Ferran Corominas already has two goals to his name but injuries to Hugo Boumous, who has since recovered, and Edu Bedia hasn’t helped their cause.
Mum rope in local lad Asif
Mumbai City FC have added 18-year-old Mohammed Asif Khan to their squad for the 2019-20 edition of the Indian Super League, replacing defender Anwar Ali. The Mumbai-born attacking midfielder impressed the club during the open trials last year for the Islanders' u18 side and he never looked back after his selection for the club. His performance during the 2018-19 u18 I-League season was impressive, playing eight games and racking up four goals and two assists. One of his four strikes from last season, against Iron Born FC, was voted by the fans as the club's best goal in 2019 across all the Islanders' teams, winning the 2019 MCFC Goal Cup. Speaking on adding the local lad to the squad, Mumbai City FC head coach Jorge Costa said, "Asif is a raw talent and has tremendous potential. He has been training with the senior side since the start of the season and had impressed us with his abilities during the sessions. I believe that his urge to win and his nature to prove himself on the field will make him an asset for us."
