Mumbai City FC travel to the JRD Tata Sports Complex in Jamshedpur to meet the league debutants Jamshedpur FC in Hero Indian Super League (ISL) 2017-18 on Friday. The Islanders are coming off the back of two successive wins and were especially clinical in their 4 – 0 rout of Delhi Dynamos FC in their last fixture. They are now up against the best defence in the league, and speaking to the media during the pre-match post conference was their head coach, Alexandre Guimaraes.

He started off by highlighting the importance of their upcoming fixture. “Now, we’re reaching a phase of the tournament where we cannot lose points and we know that tomorrow, we have a very important game,” he stated. “I admire their coach very much. Hopefully, tomorrow can be a good game that the fans come here to enjoy.”

About Mumbai’s opponents, the Costa Rican seemed wary. “It’s going to be a very tough game,” he inferred. “They are very strong defensively and the whole team fights to recover the ball. So, we have to understand that we have to work hard in the game and try to get some gaps. I’m very glad that in the last game we managed to take profit of this kind of a situation which is important in these games.”

He further added, “They (Jamshedpur) are very well organized defensively. They try to push in the offence and that can make a difference. Unfortunately for them, their chances have not been converted. So, we have to be very aware because sometimes the numbers don’t show what you do on the pitch. This is an example of that.”

Before concluding, he also singled out midfielder Achille Emana and forward Balwant Singh, and praised them for their influential gameplay. “We brought him (Emana) knowing that with his characteristics he can perform the way he is performing,” the 58-year-old revealed. “He, as a player, wants the ball to distribute the game and wants to be active in the game. The other players are understanding his game and this is good for us.”

Of Balwant, he said, “We chose Balwant as the first choice on the draft knowing his ability, temperament and versatility. He wants to win every game. For us, it is not really a surprise what he’s been doing. During the pre-season, he showed us what he’s capable of. He can improve, and I hope that he can score more goals.”