Match 28 of Hero Indian Super League (Hero ISL) 2020-21 sees a buoyant Mumbai City FC side take on Jamshedpur FC at the GMC Stadium in Bambolim on Monday. The Islanders are on a four-match winning streak and Owen Coyle’s men will have a tough task on their hands with just one win in five games.

The history of this fixture slightly favours Jamshedpur though, who have won thrice in their six matches against Mumbai City so far. However, Mumbai City did do the double over them in Hero ISL 2019-20.

The Islanders have appeared a balanced outfit, right from the start of the season. They have scored eight goals in five matches while conceding only two – the best parameter to judge a team. Under Sergio Lobera, Mumbai City have been dangerous from set-pieces with six of their goals coming from corners, penalties and free-kicks. But with Stephen Eze and Peter Hartley in the Jamshedpur FC defence, Mumbai City will have to do a little extra. The Jamshedpur duo have allowed only one goal from set-pieces this season.

“It’s going to be a difficult game against Jamshedpur. It will be similar to the last game against Chennaiyin FC. They are very competitive. They are good with and without the ball. When they have the chance, they can score. We need to balance our offence and defence because this is important for the game against Jamshedpur,” Lobera said ahead of their clash.

Mumbai will hope to dominate possession while Jamshedpur will need to be at their defensive best in order to keep a clean sheet against their opponents on monday. The Islanders have average possession of 57% and passing accuracy of 77.04% so Jamshedpur know what they need to do to stop their opponents.

It will also be interesting to see whether Bartholomew Ogbeche or Adam le Fondre starts up front for Mumbai City. Meanwhile, with five of Jamshedpur’s six goals coming from Nerijus Valskis, the Lithuanian striker is sure to lead the frontline for his side. Though this over-reliance on him is not good and other attackers need to chip in. Also, Jamshedpur have conceded four of their six goals so far in the second half, which means their defence need to maintain their intensity all through the match.    

“It’s a fantastic game to look forward to. They have some fantastic players and a terrific coach. They have spent a lot of money to bring in the players that they require and that enhances the league. They have been in good form. All we have to do is go out and play like we played against ATK Mohun Bagan,” Coyle said ahead of the game.

Squads:

Mumbai City FC

Goalkeepers: Amrinder Singh, Nishit Shetty, Vikram Singh, Phurba Lachenpa

Defenders: Amey Ranawade, Valpuia, Mourtada Fall, Mehtab Singh, Mandar Rao Dessai, Tondonba Singh, Mohamad Rakip, Sarthak Golui

Midfielders: Ahmed Jahouh, Bidyananda Singh, Bipin Singh, Hernan Santana, Raynier Fernandes, Rowllin Borges, Sourav Das, Hugo Boumous, Cy Goddard, Asif Khan, Farukh Choudhary, Vignesh Dakshinamurthy, Vikram Partap Singh, Pranjal Bhumij

Forwards: Adam Le Fondre, Bartholomew Ogbeche

Jamshedpur FC

Goalkeepers: Pawan Kumar, Niraj Kumar, TP Rehenesh, Raj Mahato, Vishal Yadav

Defenders: Narender Gahlot, Joyner Lourenco, Ricky Lallawmawma, Sandip Mandi, Laldinliana Renthlei, Karan Amin, Peter Hartley, Stephen Eze, Subhash Barua, Manash Protim Gogoi

Midfielders: Aitor Monroy, Alexandre Lima, Amarjit Singh, Jackichand Singh, Isaac Vanmalsawma, Mohammad Mobashir, Jitendra Singh, Gaurab, Manisana Singh, Harsha Parui, Gorachand Mamdi, Billu Teli

Forwards: Nerijus Valskis, William Lalnunfela, John Fitzgerald, David Grande, Sapam Kennedy, Bhupender Singh, Aniket Jadhav

Live Broadcast Schedule:

Hero ISL 2020-21 Match 28: Mumbai City FC vs Jamshedpur FC

Date: December 14 (Monday)

Time: 7:30 PM onwards

Channels: Star Sports Network

Streaming: Disney+ Hotstar and Jio TV