Hero Club Playoffs: Mumbai City FC, Jamshedpur FC face off for AFC Champions League spot
Mumbai City FC and Jamshedpur FC will lock horns to secure the highly desired AFC Champions League group stage spot as they face-off in the Hero Indian Super League (ISL) Club Playoff at the Payyanad Stadium in Manjeri, Kerala on April 4.
Mumbai City FC and Jamshedpur FC will lock horns to secure the highly desired AFC Champions League group stage spot as they face-off in the Hero Club Playoff at the Payyanad Stadium in Manjeri, Kerala on April 4.
Looking to write their names in the history books, both teams would be looking to leave no stone unturned in making the the cut to Asia's premier competition. The Islanders will look to make it for their second consecutive appearance in AFC Champions League. Meanwhile, the Men of Steel would look to earn their first-ever participation in the Asian top tier.
Form Guide
Mumbai City FC
Des Buckingham's side comes to the fixture on the back of the semi-final defeat against Bengaluru FC in Hero ISL. The Islanders have had a season to remember for the ages and the brand of football that was on show in the league would surely be instilling confidence in the group of players.
Jamshedpur FC
The Men of Steel are coming to the fixture after securing all three points against Odisha FC in the last match of the league campaign. Jamshedpur FC finished the league on a strong note with a show of perseverance, attitude and winning mentality. Aidy Boothroyd found the perfect balance in his squad and he would be hoping for his team to bring the right mentality in the coveted fixture. They won three of their last four games in the league.
Head to Head
Mumbai City FC and Jamshedpur FC have played each other 12 times with the Islanders winning four matches, Jamshedpur FC winning five times and three matches ending in draws.
In the 2022-23 season, the first fixture between the two ended in a draw in October and in the reverse fixture in January it was Mumbai City FC who got all three points against the Red Miners after a late comeback.
Key Players
Mumbai City FC
Jorge Diaz: The forward was Mumbai City FC's leading goalscorer in the league and finished second in the goalscoring charts with 11 goals and also displayed his playmaking ability with six assists to his name.
Only Diego Mauricio scored more goals (12) than Diaz this season. His 0.55 goals per game data for the season would give Buckingham a lot of confidence ahead of the crucial fixture.
Lallianzuala Chhangte:
After the best goalscoring season of his life, Chhangte was rewarded with the Hero of the League award as the 25-year-old scored 10 goals and bagged six assists in 22 matches.
Chhangte would be looking to extend his goalscoring record against Jamshedpur FC as he netted in both fixtures while also setting up the winning goal in the 2-1 victory in January in the league campaign.
Jamshedpur FC
Ritwik Das: The top scorer for Jamshedpur FC in the Hero ISL with six goals, Das would be looking to continue his fine form into the high-stakes match after grabbing all of his goals after the turn of the year.
The 26-year old was one of the key reasons behind a strong finish to the season for the Men of Steel. Das created 21 chances for his team to display his playmaking abilities in the final third.
Daniel Chukwu: The Nigerian Forward scored the second most goals (5) for the Red Miners in the Hero ISL 2022-23. The physically imposing forward has helped the team with his targetman qualities as he also laid on two assists for his teammates.
His equaliser in the first fixture against the Islanders and the assist provided in the reverse fixtures shows how the 31-year-old would be looking to shine again against Mumbai City FC again.
Match timings and telecast details
Match: Mumbai City FC vs Jamshedpur FC
Date: April 4, 2023
Venue: Payyanad Stadium, Manjeri, Kerala
Kick-off time: 8:30 pm IST
Telecast: Sony Sports Network
Online Streaming: Fancode App