Mumbai City FC host defending champions ATK in Hero Indian Super League (ISL) 2017-18 at the Mumbai Football Arena on Sunday. The Islanders head into the match on the back of a 1-0 win over Chennaiyin FC and will look to keep the momentum going against a faltering ATK side. Speaking to the media during the pre-match press conference was Mumbai City’s head coach Alexandre Guimaraes. He began by admitting that while the fixtures are a bit tough, they are finding the balance to get results on a consistent basis.

“I think that the fixtures are very tough,” Guimaraes stated. “We had some last-minute moments to solve in the past few games because of some injuries. But, we have started playing better and we have more balance in our team. I am very sure that we will have the possibilities to continue to remain strong at home, because this is one of our objectives.”

“All the players have to be solid in terms of their defensive organisation and I think that we are getting that,” he explained. “The players are putting in a lot of effort to make that happen. I think in the last game during the second half against Chennai, we showed many of our attacking options and I think this is good.”

He also appreciated the longer breaks for player recovery this season. “It (the breaks) changes the approach completely,” the Costa Rican said. “We have more time for the players to recover. We have more time to practise situations. Last season, we did not have time to practise. Now this time it is good for all the teams. I think at the end of the season, you will see improvement from all the players.”

Before wrapping up, he picked Balwant Singh as their focal point in attack, and lauded him for his performances so far. “He (Balwant Singh) was our first pick during the draft,” Guimaraes recalled. “We were lucky, because we identified that he can play up front or on the sides. He is a willing warrior, he likes to compete very much, and we are taking very good care of him.”