Mumbai City FC take on Bengaluru FC in the Hero Indian Super League (Hero ISL) 2019-20 at the Mumbai Football Arena on Friday. The Islanders will hope to regain their lost form after two consecutive losses, but face an uphill task against defending champions Bengaluru FC.

Speaking at the pre-match press conference, Mumbai head coach Jorge Costa acknowledged the threat Bengaluru possess and said, “With Bengaluru, every game they have some new tactics. Our players know what they have to do, but we have to stay alert. Bengaluru can do many different things. Especially during set pieces, we must be 100% alert because we know that they work hard on this aspect of the game. So, we must be alert and not make mistakes. It’s a game we have to win.”

Addressing his team’s recent slump, the 48-year-old opined, “It’s true that we lost the last two games but this is a different match. (Against ATK FC) We didn’t deserve to lose, and we deserved more than what we got. Against Odisha, we played probably our worst game and to be honest, I cannot explain what happened in the last game. We hope that it was just a bad day for us. Against Bengaluru, we play one of the best teams in the Hero ISL. If we want to finish in the top four then we must win every battle to get the three points.”

Speaking about Mumbai’s chances of reaching the top four, Costa said, “We are five points below the top four. We have 18 points to play for and if possible, we are aiming to win all of them. If we do it, I’m sure we will reach the top four. We are not having the correct balance this season, but we have done some very good things this season and I know we can do it. Hopefully, we will have a good game. We are here to fight for the top four.”

The Portuguese coach was joined by Sourav Das, who recently made his debut in Hero ISL. “Day by day, I am improving and maybe in the next match I can give my best. Whenever I get the chance, I will give my best. The last two matches weren’t good. The last match was a bad day for us. Hopefully the next match will be better,” the youngster stated.

Read the Match Preview here.