After a draw in Jamshedpur and two consecutive home defeats, Alexandre Guimaraes’ boys are yet to find a win in 2018. Following last week’s loss to Bengaluru FC, the Islanders now make the trip to face the high-flying FC Goa at the Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium. After a 2-1 victory in the reverse fixture earlier in the season, Mumbai City will go for a league double against Sergio Lobera’s Gaurs. It was Messrs Santos and Santos who got the goals at the Arena - Everton capitalised on Kattimani’s error and Thiago danced his way through the FC Goa defence before putting the ball through Kattimani’s legs for a late winner. FC Goa faced a woeful start to 2018 after a 1-1 draw away to ATK on a day when they arrived in the city just an hour before kick-off. A defeat followed at NorthEast United before they racked up two back to back wins against Jamshedpur FC and Kerala Blasters. For Mumbai City FC, the last two results have seemingly dented the positives from the end of 2017 but according to the gaffer, “We’ll fight all the way till the end” and keep our bid for a playoff spot alive with a positive result tomorrow.
Where to watch it:
The game will kick off at 5.30pm IST and will be broadcast on the Star Sports Network, Hotstar and Jio TV for all viewers in India. For our global fans, you can find your broadcaster here. You can also follow live action on our official Twitter account - @MumbaiCityFC.
Team News:
Mumbai City FC travel to Goa with a full squad including Raju Gaikwad, who hobbled off in the last fixture vs Bengaluru FC. FC Goa will have a new face in their attacking line-up. Dutchman Mark Sifneos joined Sergio Lobera’s side earlier today after he was released by Kerala Blasters a few days ago.
History:
The reverse fixture saw Mumbai City FC come out on top after a late winner from Thiago Santos. This was Mumbai City FC’s first win of the season. This fixture, however, has been an aberration of sorts for the Islanders. Mumbai City FC have never won at the Fatorda. Last season, custodian Amrinder Singh made his MCFC debut in this fixture and capped it off with a spectacular save in the final seconds of the game which ended goalless.
League Watch:
The top of the table is tight as ever with Bengaluru FC leading the pack following their 2-1 win over NorthEast United yesterday. Chennaiyin, Pune City and FC Goa occupy the other three playoff spots. Jamshedpur FC sit in 5th, 2 points ahead of the Islanders after the newcomers produced arguably the performance of the week against Delhi Dynamos, winning 3-2 after overcoming a two-goal deficit at home.
The other fixtures of the week are:
Saturday, 27th January
Kerala Blasters FC vs Delhi Dynamos (Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, 8pm)
Sunday, 28th January
ATK vs Jamshedpur FC (VYBK, 8pm)
