Last Sunday was anything but a cool breeze for Alexandre Guimaraes' boys as The Islanders earned a hard-fought 1-0 victory over Chennaiyin FC at the Mumbai Football Arena.
We face another tricky opposition in the form of ATK on Sunday, December 17 in search of a third consecutive home win.
There were chances aplenty for both sides throughout the game last time around but the moment of the game arrived after striker Balwant Singh was brought down just inside the box. Achille Emana showed ice-cold nerves as he sent Karanjit Singh the wrong way and slotted home, earning him the award for the player of the match.
The defending champions have had a bit of a anti-climatic start to the season - they sit at the bottom of the table with 2 draws and 2 losses from their first 4 games. Teddy Sherringham's side come off the back of a 3-2 defeat against our last opponents, Chennaiyin FC. ATK went down twice but clawed back on both occasions before Chennaiyin struck a stoppage time winner.
Where to watch it:
The game will kick off at 8pm 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:
Aiborlang Khongjee is the only name on the long-term injury list. Midfielders Leo Costa and Zakeer Mundampara are back in training. Defender Marcio Rozario will ‘feature in the match squad of 18’ according to Alexandre Guimaraes.
With Eugeneson Lyngdoh ruled out for the season and Jayesh Rane far from full fitness, the ATK midfield continues to look thin. Ashutosh Mehta and Anwar Ali are back in training. Jordi Figueras is a looming doubt.
History:
In terms of results, Mumbai City FC share the spoils with ATK with 3 wins each and 2 draws. The side from Kolkata were The Islanders’ opponents in our first ever semi final appearance of the ISL in 2016.
In the league stage, Mumbai City FC managed a 1-1 draw at home after Matias Defederico opened the scoring but was canceled out by Javi Lara’s late equalizer. Mumbai City got all three points at the Rabindra Sarobar Stadium with Diego Forlan’s shot crashed the roof of the ATK goal. In the semi final, the setting was different. Alexandre Guimaraes’ boys traveled away once again, this time for the first leg to face Jose Molina’s side.
ATK dominated proceedings and scored the opening goal inside the first 3 minutes when a deflected header from Didika Ralte crept in above Amrinder Singh. Mumbai City FC replied with two goals from Leo Costa and Gerson Vieira in the next 15. Iain Hume stepped up with a brace and made it 3-2 just before half time. The second half saw ATK on the offence and with a red card to The Islanders’ captain Diego Forlan, the game ended could have ended with a bigger margin for the home side.
In the return leg at the Mumbai Football Arena, Sunil Chhetri had a golden opportunity in the 5th minute to bring Mumbai City level on aggregate but squandered a one-on-one chance against Debjit Majumder. ATK were down to 10 men after Robert Lathlamuana was sent off in the 43rd minute. ATK absorbed all the pressure and an array of missed chances meant ATK went through after a 0-0 draw.
The Islanders’ goalkeeper Amrinder Singh is one of the few names who has featured for our tomorrow’s opposition. He donned the red and white in 2015. Sanju Pradhan and Biswajit Saha both turned out for ATK in the inaugural season of the ISL.
League Watch:
FC Goa lead the pack after 3 consecutive victories, the latest one being a 5-1 drubbing of Delhi Dynamos in Delhi. Bengaluru FC registered an away victory as well winning 3-1 in Pune – they are second on goal difference. Kerala Blasters registered their first win of the season beating NorthEast United 1-0 in Kochi.
The other fixtures of the week are:
Sunday, December 10
Bengaluru FC vs Chennaiyin FC (Sree Kanteerava Stadium, 5.30pm)
