The second leg of Semi-final 1 of Hero Indian Super League (Hero ISL) 2020-21 will witness Mumbai City FC square off against FC Goa at the GMC Stadium in Bambolim on Monday. Both sides have it all to play for in the second leg after a 2-2 draw in the first leg. The two sides have met 17 times in the past with Mumbai City FC winning five games, FC Goa emerging triumphant seven times and five draws.

Mumbai City FC though will be hoping to start the contest in a better manner than they had during the first leg. The Islanders went behind twice in the opening leg against FC Goa and had to rely on goals from Hugo Boumous and Mourtada Fall to earn them a 2-2 draw going into the all-important second leg of the clash.

Sergio Lobera will remind his players about how they drew the second league stage fixture against the Gaurs as well. He will want his defenders to be more solid and it’s easy to understand why when you consider that they have conceded five goals against FC Goa in their last two matches. Lobera will especially demand more from his senior defence-minded players like Fall, Hernan Santana and Ahmed Jahouh.

Offensively, they have looked threatening as always with the likes of Bartholomew Ogbeche, Adam le Fondre and Boumous spearheading their attack. Bipin Singh is another one of their options who has raised his game and is the only hat-trick scorer this season. Cy Goddard is also capable of having an impact and shone in midfield for the Islanders during Boumous’ suspension.

Currently on a 14-match unbeaten run, FC Goa will be confident about getting a positive result themselves having more than held their own against this season’s table-toppers in their last two matches against them. The Gaurs seem to know their way to Mumbai City FC’s goal and will back themselves to overcome the Islanders in the second leg as they eye a third appearance in the Hero ISL final.

Igor Angulo – the league’s joint-top goal-scorer with 14 goals – and Jorge Ortiz are FC Goa’s biggest attacking threats. Ortiz won the penalty for the Gaurs’ opener in the first leg for Angulo to dispatch from the spot. The Spanish duo along with compatriot Alberto Noguera, who is the leading assist provider (8) in the league, will be expected to make a difference in the final-third.

Defensively though they’ll need to remain switched on throughout the game. Constant changes at the back have hampered their defensive cohesion but the Gaurs’ backline know that they will have to be at their best against the most potent attack in the league. 

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

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

Forwards: Adam Le Fondre, Bartholomew Ogbeche

FC Goa

Goalkeepers: Mohammad Nawaz, Naveen Kumar, Shubham Dhas, Antonio D’Silva, Dheeraj Singh

Defenders: Sarineo Fernandes, Aiban Dohling, Ivan Gonzalez, James Donachie, Leander D’Cunha, Mohamed Ali, Sanson Pereira, Saviour Gama, Seriton Fernandes, Adil Khan

Midfielders: Alberto Noguera, Alexander Jesuraj, Brandon Fernandes, Edu Bedia, Jorge Mendoza, Nestor Dias, Phrangki Buam, Princeton Rebello, Redeem Tlang, Glan Martins, Amarjit Singh

Forwards: Aaren D’Silva, Devendra Murgaokar, Igor Angulo, Ishan Pandita, Makan Chothe

Live Broadcast Schedule:

Hero ISL 2020-21 Semi-final 1, second leg: Mumbai City FC vs FC Goa

Date: March 8 (Monday)

Time: 7:30 PM onwards

Channels: Star Sports Network

Streaming: Disney+ Hotstar and Jio TV