Mumbai City FC face off against rivals FC Goa in the Hero Indian Super League (Hero ISL) 2019-20 at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Goa on Wednesday. Mumbai will look to consolidate their position in the top four and a win on Wednesday will put them them level on points with third-placed Bengaluru FC.

At the pre-match press conference, Mumbai head coach Jorge Costa shared his views on the upcoming challenge and said, “I expect it to be an open game, mostly because of the way Goa play. So, we will have one team that has already qualified and is fighting for the top spot, and another team that is fighting for the top four. Both teams have the pressure to play for a result. Still, I think it will be an open and a good game. I hope the fans enjoy the game.”

With Goa having parted ways with long-time head coach Sergio Lobera and a new coaching team in place, Costa was asked if he was expecting anything different from the Goa side. He replied, “Honestly, I think Goa don’t need to change much (after the departure of Lobera), because they are so good and they are playing well. I can tell the first XI of Goa and how they will play. The only thing I cannot tell is the result. I don’t believe they will change anything.”

The Portuguese then reiterated the importance of winning their next two games and stated, “We have two games till the end of the league phase, that is six points. We need points to finish in the top four. We know that it will be a very difficult game against one of the best teams in the Hero ISL. Goa are a side which has always been difficult for us to play against. We have to fight for these three points. We want to go home with these three points.”

Speaking about Mumbai’s season so far, Costa opined, “I don’t know whether we will win the next two matches and qualify but I am very proud of my team. I am happy with my team, their performances and their results since the beginning. We did an amazing job from the first day. We must keep doing our job and work towards winning the next two games. We have two very difficult matches to go, but my focus is on the game against Goa. I will field my best combination and will do my best to go home with the three points.”

He was joined by player Pranjal Bhumij, who spoke about his experience of playing with experienced players like Modou Sougou and Amine Chermiti. “I have not gotten much game time yet, but I am working towards that. I am still young, and I am sure I will get some playing time. The senior players guide us, and we get to learn a lot from them. They are very experienced, we learn a lot of new things,” he said.

Read the Match Preview here.