With the team looking to improve upon their Season 1 performance, reinforced Mumbai City FC travel to play FC Pune City in their first clash of the second season of the Hero Indian Super League [ISL]. In the pre-match press conference on Sunday evening, Oscar Bruzon, assistant coach of the Mumbai-based side, insisted his team was following marquee player-cum-coach Nicolas Anelka’s instructions to a tee and was ready to take FC Pune City head-on.“It’s Anelka who sets the team. Also, we have quite some depth in the squad. We hope to play a very good attacking game tomorrow,” Bruzon said.The League’s only hat-trick star, midfielder Andre Moritz, echoed the same sentiments. “Tomorrow's game will be hard for us but we have the calibre to see it through. We have a very good squad, and a fruitful pre-season. It's Sunil Chhetri and Subrata Paul [both on national duty] who’ll be missed tomorrow, but we have good players to cover them in every position.”All coaches in the tournament will have to release “India players” in their squad for the 2018 World Cup Qualifiers. Mentioning his stance on the matter, Bruzon said, “We don't want to speculate on the players that will play. We have multiple options in every position. We will decide tomorrow on the lineup.”On the subject of midfielder Lalrindika Ralte, who will miss the entire season on account of injury, the Spaniard said: “Lalrindika is a very big loss for us. We wish him the very best in his recovery and wish he can come back to help us next year. We've also got an able replacement. There are injuries, players are leaving for the national team but we are well suited to cope with it.”Joining Mumbai City FC from rivals FC Pune City this season is midfielder Ashutosh Mehta. He seemed chuffed with his new team-mates. “The boys are working hard. We are a good squad with a great mentality. If we keep up the spirit, it will be very tough for anyone to beat us,” he said.
