Match 55 of Hero Indian Super League (Hero ISL) 2020-21 will see second-placed ATK Mohun Bagan take on table-toppers Mumbai City FC at the Fatorda Stadium on Monday. With just two points separating the teams, ATK Mohun Bagan will hope to get the better of the Islanders and displace them at the top of the table.

Mumbai City are on an eight-match unbeaten run after their victory over Bengaluru FC in their last game. The Islanders have seven wins and one draw during this period. However, they are coming up against a strong defence that has not conceded a goal in their last four matches. This has helped ATK Mohun Bagan maintain their own unbeaten streak of five matches, with three wins and two draws.

Commanding the ATK Mohun Bagan defence is their goalkeeper Arindam Bhattacharja. With seven clean sheets in nine matches this season, Arindam (26) is just one shy of Gurpreet Singh Sandhu (27) who is second on the list for most shutouts in Hero ISL history just behind Subrata Paul (28). Arindam has been at his best with a strong save percentage of 89.28% and is yet to concede a goal from open play this season.

ATK Mohun Bagan head coach Antonio Lopez Habas, however, understands the threat that the opposition possess in the attacking department. “It is very difficult to stop a team like Mumbai City because they have very good progression in the attacking play. When we get the three points, we have confidence for the next match. What is important is the performance and the behaviour [of the players] in the match,” Habas said ahead of the game.

Mumbai City, meanwhile, are leading the goalscoring charts in Hero ISL 2020-21 with 16 goals in nine matches. Adam le Fondre (6) and Bartholomew Ogbeche (3) have been their main men up front so far. The strength of their attack is evident from the fact that Mumbai City have eight different goalscorers in the team and barring the loss to NorthEast United FC in their first match, the Islanders have scored in every game this season.

Their playmaker Hugo Boumous already has four assists and he is ably supported by winger Bipin Singh, who has assisted three goals for the Islanders this season. However, a key member of the Islanders midfield who will be missing from the game is Ahmed Jahouh. The Moroccan received his second red card of the season against Bengaluru. Jahouh’s prowess of winning the ball for his side will sorely be missed against a pacey counter-attacking team.

“It’s going to be a difficult game for us. ATK Mohun Bagan are doing a very good job so far. Hopefully, everyone will see a very good game. The whole squad is fit and I am very happy with the situation. It’s an important game but it’s not a crucial game. Getting the three points is more important. This is just halfway through the season. In this league anything can change in a short period of time. The most important thing is to keep our focus,” Mumbai City head coach Sergio Lobera said ahead of the game.

Squads:

ATK Mohun Bagan

Goalkeepers: Arindam Bhattacharja, Dheeraj Singh, Avilash Paul, Arsh Shaikh, Aryan Niraj Lamba

Defenders: Tiri, Pritam Kotal, Prabir Das, Sandesh Jhingan, Subhasish Bose, Sumit Rathi

Midfielders: Pronay Halder, Bradden Inman, Javier Hernandez, Edu Garcia, Carl McHugh, Glan Martins, Jayesh Rane, Michael Soosairaj, Boris Singh, Regin Michael, Sahil Sheikh, N Engson Singh, Nongdamba Naorem

Forwards: David Williams, Roy Krishna, Manvir Singh, Md. Fardin Ali Molla

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

Live Broadcast Schedule:

Hero ISL 2020-21 Match 55: ATK Mohun Bagan vs Mumbai City FC

Date: January 11 (Monday)

Time: 7:30 PM onwards

Channels: Star Sports Network

Streaming: Disney+ Hotstar and Jio TV