Mumbai City FC return to the Mumbai Football Arena for their second home game of the 2024/25 Indian Super League season, where they will face Odisha FC on Sunday, 27th October. The Islanders come into this contest riding the momentum of their first win of the season, a 2-1 victory over FC Goa in Fatorda. With a win under their belt, the hosts will aim to build momentum in a series of consecutive home games over the coming weeks.
Reflecting on their first win of the season and the kind of effect it had on the team’s morale, Head Coach Petr Kratky said, “It has helped the team a little bit, in terms of getting back on track with the emotions. We wanted that win from the first game of the season. So, it was very important for our changing room but also for the whole club and for the fans as well. We are very grateful for it, but we also know how hard it was. So, we need to just need to keep getting better in training and repeat it.”
Focusing on the next challenge and what might be the key areas of focus against Odisha FC, Kratky added, “The main focus is always on us. How we improve our game, how we become better footballers and a better football team. We work tirelessly on the pitch and the boys are working very hard. It is even harder for them after the first win because they know how hard it was to get the win. So, against Odisha, we will try to do our best like we did against Goa, but we will try to do even be even better.”
With two huge home games coming up against Odisha FC and Kerala Blasters, Kratky maintained that every game is important, and the team is going to focus on the game ahead of them. “I think every game is important. So, we look at the game which is in front of us, which is Odisha. For us, we're going into it to win. We want to compete in every game, and we want to win and do our best. This is our first goal, that’s why we play football. We start with Odisha tomorrow and we will see what happens after that,” he said.
Mumbai City FC’s new number nine, Nikolaos Karelis is also finding his feet in the Indian Super League, already scoring a couple of goals and providing an assist this season. Giving an insight into his performances and how he’s adjusting to playing in the league so far, he mentioned, “It’s something different for me. I’m not used to playing in such humidity and heat, but I have adjusted very well, I think.”
He also shed some light on his relationship with the head coach, while also alluding that the team is on the right track. He added, “With the team and the coach, for sure we are not at the level that we want to be. Personally, I think game by game we are developing, and we’ll see what things we can improve on, to try and be better game by game. I think we’re on a good track through the work we’re putting in and game by game, we will see what we can do. I believe that the group is really, really good. The coach is telling us about everything that we need to improve. From that, we will continue to grow game by game.”
The Greek striker also spoke about his first experience with the home crowd at the Mumbai Football Arena in the game against Bengaluru FC. “It was really nice, I really enjoyed it at the time, but I was not happy because of the result. We have many games to go, starting from tomorrow’s game. I'm really happy to see the fans shouting, screaming and encouraging to reach a higher level for the players on the pitch. So, I’ll be happy to see them tomorrow,” he concluded.
Where to Watch
The game will kick off at 7:30 pm IST on Sunday, 27th October 2024 and will be broadcast on Sports 18 and Jio Cinema. For our global fans, you can find your broadcaster at www.indiansuperleague.com/broadcasters or follow all the action LIVE on our official Twitter account - @MumbaiCityFC
