The bottom two teams of the Hero Indian Super League meet in a 12th round must win game of sorts if they are to keep alive their hopes for a top four berth. Cellar team Mumbai City FC (12 points) are theoretically capable of making the last four though as are hosts FC Pune City who are one point ahead.The last time these two teams met in Mumbai, Peter Reid’s men trounced Franco Colomba’s troops 5-0, with a hat trick from André Moritz, the only one in the competition still. Pune will hope to reverse the result this time in the second ‘Maharashtra derby’ as they have turned into a more compact outfit since, especially at home. Both sides are winless in their last five games and it will be a battle of equals in that respect, expect that Pune will enjoy the home advantage playing in front of their fans.Form Guide (most recent matches first)FC Pune City: DLLDDMumbai City FC: LLDDDKostas Katsouranis vs Jan Štohanzl This intriguing midfield battle sees Mumbai’s midfield mainstay Štohanzl come up against Pune’s midfield general Katsouranis. Katsouranis has been arguably Pune’s best player in the competition, excelling in both attacking and defensive duties and also chipping in with four goals. He’s got good awareness to make runs in the box and can shoot from distance. Štohanzl will have to contain Kostas with his tight marking and tireless work rate, looking to close him down every time he time he surges forward and nullify his influence on the game.Dudu Omagbemi vs Manuel FriedrichDudu has become Franco Colomba’s first choice striker with some promising performances. Although the Nigerian has not been able to find the back of the net for a while now, he’s excellent in holding up play, and always manages to get into good positions. With a little bit of accuracy in front of goal, he could be a game changer for Pune. He will be up against former German international Manuel Friedrich, who has played every minute of every game for Mumbai, and is well equipped to deal with Dudu’s physicality. He will have to use all his experience to marshal his defence to counter Pune’s midfield and Dudu’s threat.Mehrajuddin Wadoo vs Lalrindika RalteWadoo has been played as a right-back in the previous two matches, and is slowly getting accustomed to his duties of defending the flank and also pushing up forward to support Jermaine Pennant when the team attacks. Wadoo may not be the quickest in his position, and will have to rely on his experience and positional sense to make up for it. He will be up against Lalrindika Ralte, the 22-year old Indian international playing on the left for Mumbai. ‘Didika’ has had a hot and cold season so far, not being able to influence games as much as he would like to. He is definitely someone who can’t be given an inch of space, as he has a good long range strike.Players to watchFC Pune CityKrisztián Vadócz - The Hungarian midfielder was largely influential in the centre of the park for Pune in their previous game, linking up attack and defence well. He has an eye for a pass to find his teammates in tight situations. He also has a good right foot and was only denied a goal on his home debut by some strong goalkeeping.Mumbai City FCAbhishek Yadav - Yadav came on late in the game and pulled one back for Mumbai City in Delhi the other day. The Mumbai forward will hopefully get a chance to prove his worth again, with the fitness of Nicolas Anelka and Moritz still in question. Whether he starts or plays a bit part role again, he can be expected to trouble the Pune defence and make an impact on the game.
