Mumbai City FC travel to the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Goa to take on FC Goa in Hero Indian Super League (ISL) 2017-18 on Sunday. The Islanders are without a victory in their previous three fixtures and come off the back of two consecutive losses. They clearly need to up their ante against the formidable Gaurs, if they want to be in contention for the top four slot.

On the eve of the match, the visitor’s head coach Alexandre Guimaraes spoke to the media during the pre-match press conference. The Costa Rican acknowledged Goa’s strength, going on to say that the Gaurs are a changed side from the one Mumbai had beaten earlier this season. “I think we are one of the teams that found a way during the first round to beat them,” he stated. “From that game on, they continued to do what they have been doing well. Because of that, they are in the position that they are. In that game, we managed to control them and I hope tomorrow we do the same.”

The 58-year-old also believes that his team has a good chance of making the cut for the playoffs. “All the teams still have a chance to make the top four,” Guimaraes remarked. “In this season, there has not been too many draws. That is what makes the difference in the top four. We still are in the battle. We have games to play. In the first round, we managed to get points in tough places and I hope tomorrow we can do that too.”

The Islanders’ head coach further explained how his team would approach the coming fixture. “We have been trying to establish a pattern of playing,” he revealed. “With that pattern, we have been playing a good game which sometimes doesn’t match with the points we have. If you play well, you have more chances to win. This is the posture with which we will come tomorrow.”