S05E01.
A brand new season. A brand new chapter. Brand new faces. And brand new leadership. Mumbai City FC kick off the 2018-19 season of the Hero ISL tomorrow when they welcome Jamshedpur FC at the Mumbai Football Arena at 7.30pm.
Tomorrow’s encounter will mark newly-appointed head coach Jorge Costa’s first competitive game in charge. The 46-year-old Portuguese coach, who once was a UEFA Champions League winning captain under Jose Mourinho, has pronounced his philosophy as ‘getting three points’ but is wary of the quality Jamshedpur bring.
Among many other firsts, this will be the first instance in five seasons where The Islanders will kick off a league season at home, having played away opening games at ATK (2014), Pune (2015 2016) and Bengaluru (2017-18).
Our opponents, Jamshedpur FC, come into the league season after positive pre-season results in Spain, including a 1-0 win over the Atletico Madrid B side. Much like The Islanders, tomorrow’s visitors also come in under a new head coach with Spanish Cesar Ferrando taking over the reigns at Jamshedpur FC.
Where to watch it:
The game will kick off at 7.30pm 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 also follow live action on our official Twitter account - @MumbaiCityFC.
Team News:
Jorge Costa’s side come into the opening game of the season without any suspensions. On the injury front, the Islanders will go into the opening game of the season with a couple of hiccups, out of which ‘one is doubtful and one will definitely not play’, according to the boss.
For Jamshedpur FC, goalkeeper Subrata Paul will be in the stands, serving a suspension following last season’s Hero Super Cup fracas in their game against FC Goa. Joining him will be JFC’s new big-bill signing Tim Cahill will be sitting out, carrying a suspension from his previous club, Millwall FC.
History:
Mumbai City FC could not get the better of Jamshedpur FC in two attempts last season. The Islanders secured a 2-2 draw away from home at the JRD Tata Sports Complex Stadium, courtesy of two magnificent Thiago Santos goals and succumbed to a 2-1 defeat at the Arena from a late Bikash Jairu winner. In what will be the third encounter between the two sides, it will be a step into the unknown for both camps, with both teams under new leadership and some fairly new faces in both sides.
It will be a case of familiar foes for the full-back pair of Mumbai City FC. Souvik Chakrabarti and Shouvik Ghosh, both made the switch from Jamshedpur FC to the Islanders in the summer. Going the other way was defender Raju Gaikwad as the former Tata Football Academy graduate signed for the Tata’s-owned club ahead of the 2018-19 season.
League Watch
Results:
29 Sep: ATK 0-2 Kerala Blasters
30 Sep: Bengaluru FC 1-0 Chennaiyin FC
Fixtures coming up:
1 Oct: NorthEast United FC vs FC Goa (Indira Gandhi Athletic Stadium, Guwahati 7.30pm)
3 Oct: Delhi Dynamos FC vs FC Pune City (Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, New Delhi 7.30pm)
4 Oct: ATK vs NorthEast United FC (VYBK, Kolkata 7.30pm)
