MUMBAI FC FACES VIVACIOUS MCDOWELL MOHUN BAGAN AT COOPERAGE
MUMBAI: Mohun Bagan will be looking to stretch their lead at the top of the table when they take on a gritty Mumbai FC in a crucial Hero I-League encounter at the Cooperage Stadium on Saturday.
Bouyed by their win over Pune FC in the previous round, Bagan have arrived in Mumbai are high on confidence. The Mariners currently lead defending champions Bengaluru FC by three points and still have a game in hand. They, however, will miss the services of their in-form striker Balwant Singh, who was suspended for two matches by the AIFF disciplinary committee for indulging in an altercation with the referee during their loss to Royal Wahingdoh.
Coach Sanjoy Sen insisted he side is good enough to eke out a positive result despite the suspension to his key player. Foreign recuits Katsumi Yusa of Japan and Haiti’s Sony Norde have been star performers for Bagan. Both players have held the team together, scored crucial goals and set-up their teammates often during the course of the season. Striker Pierre Boya has been influential up front but he has had minor niggles which has kept him out of training. Sen said a final decision on his fitness will be taken before the match. In the defence, Bello Rasaq has been consistent and authoritative in his performances and Sen would be expecting more of the same from his foreign quartet against Mumbai FC.
But he knows Mumbai are a tough nut to crack, especially at home. With Khalid Jamil serving suspension, Henry Picardo managed the dug-out and under him, Mumbai have managed three straight draws but have found it tough to find the back of the net frequently.
Mumbai have dearly missed their industrious midfielder Taisuke Matsugae, who has been out of action after picking up a calf injury. Matsugae has been the chief creative source for Mumbai and in his absence, the team has struggled to stitch together a nice attacking move. “Taisuke is still injured unfortunately. He has been one of our star performers but injuries are a part and parcel of the game,” Jamil said.
Jayesh Rane has been a consistent performer for them but without much support from his midfield, the youngster hasn’t had the same impact as he had in earlier matches.
Mumbai, however, have been quick to close down their opponents, giving them little space and time on the ball. Picardo knows his side is second favourite in the tie but said they will go all out to end their winless run. “Bagan are a top side and they are leading the table for a reason. We really, really want to win this one but at the same time, we need to be cautious,” Jamil said.
For Bagan, the three points will be crucial as it will help them take another big step towards the elusive title.
Bouyed by their win over Pune FC in the previous round, Bagan have arrived in Mumbai are high on confidence. The Mariners currently lead defending champions Bengaluru FC by three points and still have a game in hand. They, however, will miss the services of their in-form striker Balwant Singh, who was suspended for two matches by the AIFF disciplinary committee for indulging in an altercation with the referee during their loss to Royal Wahingdoh.
Coach Sanjoy Sen insisted he side is good enough to eke out a positive result despite the suspension to his key player. Foreign recuits Katsumi Yusa of Japan and Haiti’s Sony Norde have been star performers for Bagan. Both players have held the team together, scored crucial goals and set-up their teammates often during the course of the season. Striker Pierre Boya has been influential up front but he has had minor niggles which has kept him out of training. Sen said a final decision on his fitness will be taken before the match. In the defence, Bello Rasaq has been consistent and authoritative in his performances and Sen would be expecting more of the same from his foreign quartet against Mumbai FC.
But he knows Mumbai are a tough nut to crack, especially at home. With Khalid Jamil serving suspension, Henry Picardo managed the dug-out and under him, Mumbai have managed three straight draws but have found it tough to find the back of the net frequently.
Mumbai have dearly missed their industrious midfielder Taisuke Matsugae, who has been out of action after picking up a calf injury. Matsugae has been the chief creative source for Mumbai and in his absence, the team has struggled to stitch together a nice attacking move. “Taisuke is still injured unfortunately. He has been one of our star performers but injuries are a part and parcel of the game,” Jamil said.
Jayesh Rane has been a consistent performer for them but without much support from his midfield, the youngster hasn’t had the same impact as he had in earlier matches.
Mumbai, however, have been quick to close down their opponents, giving them little space and time on the ball. Picardo knows his side is second favourite in the tie but said they will go all out to end their winless run. “Bagan are a top side and they are leading the table for a reason. We really, really want to win this one but at the same time, we need to be cautious,” Jamil said.
For Bagan, the three points will be crucial as it will help them take another big step towards the elusive title.
SPORTING CLUBE DE GOA STRIVES TO AVOID THE WOODEN SPOON
GOA: Sporting Clube de Goa coach Mathew D’Costa said his team will go all out in search of a win against Bharat FC in the Hero I-League clash at Nehru Stadium, Fatorda, on Saturday.
Sporting Clube continued to be rooted to the bottom of the league table and desperately need to win some matches to save the drop. The Panjim based team has 11 points from 15 matches and coach Mathew feels his team must play only to win.
“The league is now drawing to a close and you can see from our position on the points table that we have to start winning. There is no point in accumulating draws. What we need is a win,” said the Sporting coach.
Sporting Clube have lost just one match, against Bengaluru FC, since the I-League restarted and have had plenty of draws. The draws have hurt them and the coach says the focus is now to turn the draws into credible and much-needed victories.
“A draw will be as good as a loss for us. We have go all out and search for a win,” said Mathew.
Sporting Clube are expected to field the same team that drew the last match against Mumbai FC at home but there are question marks over the availability of Odafa Okolie. The Nigerian striker and captain was stretchered out of the field after just six minutes against Mumbai FC and the coach confirmed that Odafa remains a doubtful starter.
“I cannot say anything as of now. We will have to take a call on Odafa’s fitness only on the day of the match,” said the Sporting coach.
Bharat FC coach Stuart Watkiss will welcome the return of players like Gouramangi Singh, Arindam Bhattacharya, Dharmaraj Ravanan and Syed Nabi, all of whom missed the loss against Bengaluru FC. The defence will need to be in good stead as Sporting Clube will come out all guns blazing.
In attack, though, Bharat FC will continue to miss the services of the injured Kris Bright.
Bharat FC do not have the fear of relegation as the AIFF guidelines mean the newcomers are free from relegation for three years. But Bharat FC will not want to finish at the bottom.
IFFY SHILLONG LAJONG FACES SUBDUED DEMPO SC AT HOME
SHILLONG: Despite being in seventh place in the Hero I-League standings, Dempo coach Trevor Morgan still feels that his club are not safe from relegation and that makes their match against Shillong Lajong FC here on Saturday all the more important.
After 15 games, Dempo have 16 points from three wins and seven draws, which has put them in a better place than Lajong, who are in ninth spot with 13 points (three wins and four draws). The Saturday hosts, however, do have a game in hand and they will want their home advantage to count for something and get over the 3-1 loss they were handed by Salgaocar in the last outing.
Incidentally, Dempo also tasted defeat by the same margin in their last game, losing to East Bengal in Kolkata.
The two clubs have met once already this season, with the Reds winning 2-0 in Goa and Lajong also have a better head-to-head record overall, with three wins for SLFC to one for Dempo in five meetings. In fact, the Shillong team have won all of the last three encounters between the two teams.
The Goan side have been unable to field their full strength of four foreigners in any match, with injuries a problem for Tolgay Ozbey a big concern, though the star striker is in the process of recovery even if he cannot play a full 90 minutes.
Lajong coach Thangboi Singto has his own injury concerns, with captain Aiborlang Khongjee and Robin Gurung both missing out in the last game as they will in this one. That means that it will be up to the likes of Pritam Singh and Samuel Shadap to fill in once again.
Up front, Lajong looks strong, with the likes of Cornell Glen (the second highest scorer this season with nine goals), Uilliams Souza, Boithang Haokip and Penn Orji all in reasonable form. However, despite the number of chances they have created, the team have not scored as many goals as Singto would have liked.
Both coaches rued the early goals that their respective clubs conceded in their previous matches, which set them back mentally. Another similarity between the two is that both also think that their teams have not done too badly, even if they have often ended up on the losing side.
Conditions in Shillong are likely to be overcast and chilly, with the Pine City witnessing intense rainfall over the past week. That could bring about its own challenges for the visitors, although they have pretty good memories of playing in Shillong, having drawn 1-1 against Royal Wahingdoh FC in February.
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