Anwar Ali has been a rock-solid presence at the heart of Mumbai City FC’s defence in Hero Indian Super League 2016 and will be hoping to make a return to the starting 11 against Atlético de Kolkata at the Rabindra Sarobar Stadium in Kolkata on Tuesday. The 32-year-old central defender missed his side’s 1-0 loss at the hands of FC Goa due to injury but is likely to play some part in their match against the 2014 winners in Kolkata. He has made three successful tackles, three interceptions, four blocks and 17 clearances in Hero ISL 2016 so far. Ali, who also poses an aerial threat in the opposition penalty area, spoke to indiansuperleague.com ahead of his side’s clash against ATK. Here are the excerpts from the interview.What do you think about the game against Kolkata?Actually, the results have not gone our way in the last two to three games as we had a good start to the league, and the game against Kolkata will be crucial if we want to improve our position.Where do you think things went wrong after starting your campaign with back-to-back wins?This happens in the league at times and the good start was a good thing for us but the last few results have hurt us and it is due to the first two wins that we are still in the top four, so the upcoming matches are very vital for us to remain in the top half.Arsenal legend Thierry Henry will be in the stands tomorrow, so what do you think about that?I think it is a very big thing as he is a legend and it is motivational for us that such a big player is going to watch us play.
