Mumbai City FC will be looking to put their disappointing 5-0 loss against FC Goa behind them when they host Delhi Dynamos FC in the Hero Indian Super League (Hero ISL) on Saturday at the Mumbai Football Arena. Delhi, on the other hand, will be searching for the elusive first win of the season, having drawn three and lost one in their opening four fixtures.

The traditional Mumbai-Delhi rivalry has played out eight times in the past seasons of Hero ISL, with the Islanders claiming victory three times, while the Lions managed to score only two wins over their opponents. With both sides desperate for a win on Saturday's match, fans can expect an intriguing fixture.

Mumbai City FC

Mumbai started the season in disappointing fashion with a loss to Jamshedpur FC, but the tide seemed to have turned for Jorge Costa's side after they secured four points in the next two, including three points against local rivals FC Pune City at home in the Maha Derby. Their last outing, however, turned out to be a disastrous one as they got drubbed by Goa away from home. The side's defensive frailties were exposed by a ruthless Goa side, who scored five past the Islanders' defence. The biggest concern for Costa will be in the back line, which has been prone to giving the ball away in their own half too easily. Three of Goa's goals on Wednesday materialised after Mumbai lost possession in their defensive third. Interestingly, Mumbai have also registered the highest number of attempted tackles (139) and successful tackles (63) in the Hero ISL ahead of Friday's game but despite that, the team has conceded eight in their four matches. It'll be interesting to see if Lucian Goian and co. can weed out the mistakes before going into Saturday's match.

Mumbai's midfield trio of Arnold Issoko, Paulo Machado and Modou Sougou have looked good so far and created a lot of chances, but the team has had trouble converting them into goals. Mumbai have only scored thrice in their four matches so far despite having a whopping 52 shots on goal. First-choice striker Rafael Bastos got his name on the score sheet against Pune and came close on several occasions against Goa but has looked far from prolific till now.

Here’s a look at Mumbai’s current season in numbers:

Delhi Dynamos FC

Delhi have endured a winless start to their Hero ISL 2018-19 campaign and most of their problems stem from the inability to create chances. Josep Gombau's team has only been able to register 37 shots on goal in their four matches so far - the lowest in the league. Delhi have found the back of the net only thrice and two of them have come from defenders - one Rana Gharami stunner from long range and a Pritam Kotal header from a corner. Delhi's mode of attack has mostly revolved around their wide men, Lallianzuala Chhangte, Nandhakumar Sekar and Romeo Fernandes, sending in crosses trying to find Serbian forward Andrija Kaludjerovic, but the ploy hasn't worked out for the Lions yet. Playmaker Rene Mihelic has looked good in patches but is yet to find the touch which made him such a force in the title-winning Chennaiyin FC outfit last season.

One big positive for Delhi this season has been goalkeeper Francisco Dorronsoro, who have time and again bailed his team out when they needed him the most. The Spaniard had an absolute peach of a game against Chennaiyin and made some unbelievable saves to help his team claim a point from a goalless draw against the defending champions. The 33-year-old has looked to be in form this season and has already made 14 saves in the four matches so far. The Lions' defence has looked ordinary thus far, relying heavily on Dorronsoro to keep the opposition at bay. The team, however, managed a clean sheet against Chennaiyin in their last match and Narayan Das, Marti Crespi and Pritam will look to repeat the feat against Mumbai on Saturday. Another worry for Gombau will be Delhi's away record against Mumbai. The Lions have never won an away match against the Islanders.

Here’s a look at Delhi’s current season in numbers:

PROBABLE LINE-UPS:

Mumbai City FC: Amrinder Singh (G), Shouvik Ghosh, Subhasish Bose, Lucian Goian, Sauvik Chakrabarti, Paulo Machado (C), Arnold Issoko, Modou Sougou, Sehnaj Singh, Milan Singh, Rafael Bastos

Delhi Dynamos FC: Francisco Dorronsoro (GK), Pritam Kotal (C), Rana Gharami, Marti Crespi, Narayan Das, Gianni Zuiverloon, Rene Mihelic, Vinit Rai, Nandhakumar Sekar, Lallianzuala Chhangte, Andrija Kaludjerovic

DID YOU KNOW?

• Delhi have never won a match against Mumbai away from home.
• Delhi’s Francisco Dorronsoro has been the only foreign goalkeeper to have featured in this season’s Hero ISL.
• Delhi have conceded the most number of goals since the start of last season (41) while Mumbai have conceded the second most (37).

FANSPEAK

Which team will bag the much-needed victory?

• Mumbai City FC
• Delhi Dynamos FC

Have your say in the comments section below.

Catch the match live on the Star Sports Network, Hotstar and Jio TV from 7:30 PM.