The closer the rivals, the fiercer the rivalry gets. The fever pitch rivalry in the #HeroISL could not get fiercer than the boys from Pune and Mumbai, battling it out on Mumbai’s backyard. We are playing full strength tomorrow (with Park IL Kwang returning from the cramps he suffered against the Delhi Dynamos). Mumbai City FC on the other hand, start on a backfoot as they will be without marquee players Freddie Ljungberg and Nicolas Anelka and skipper Syed Rahim Nabi sitting out because of injury. Furthermore, Mumbai City FC is coming into this match after a defeat at the hands of Atletico de Kolkata.It goes without saying that playing an away match in Mumbai is always a formidable task. We are lucky to have players like D Ravanan and Lenny Rodrigues who have played in Mumbai and with some of the current Mumbai players in previous seasons. Coach Franco Colomba is counting on their experience before the game. He says “ The first match was difficult for us. Every match we go to, the plan is to grab 3 points and nothing else. But, when you are playing an away match against a good team, a cleansheet becomes the first priority! Against Mumbai, we will look to attack and control the game. That will be the strategy as we have players who know both the surface and the opposition well!”.Goalkeeper Emanuele Belardi should be an easy pick for coach Colomba after the goal keeper’s splendid show in the previous match. Midfielders Lenny Rodrigues and Israil Gurung impressed with their speed and chances created. So did Dudu Omagbemi, a late substitute in the previous match who livened up the pace of the game as soon as he entered. Bruno Cirillo, the general in the defence, will again be expected to step up against Mumbai’s strikeforce.In focus against the strike pair of Dudu and David Trezeguet, will be India’s national goalkeeper Subrata Paul in the Mumbai goal. Strikers Dudu Omagbemi and Joaquim Abranches know Subrata all too well from their stints in Bengal.This is coach Franco Colomba’s second match incharge in the Hero Indian Super League and while he didn’t let out too much on the starting XI , this is what he said about his team structure, “ When we go into a match, we go in to grab the maximum points. I am looking at a complete team here. A team that can defend well, attack with ferocity and control the game. That’s the team that will play against Mumbai City FC tomorrow”.Whatever lies on the cards for tomorrow’s match, one thing is for sure. We are all set for a mouth watering battle in a charged atmosphere at the D Y Patil Stadium! Come on Pune, let’s cheer loud and join in spirit as our heroes hit the battleground! You know you gotta shout loudest when it’s Maha Derby time.
