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Hero Indian Super League (Hero ISL) 2020-21 will witness Mumbai City FC embark on a new adventure led by Spanish head coach Sergio Lobera. The 43-year-old head coach has roped in several talented foreign and Indian players as the Islanders look to finish in the top four for just the third time in league history.

Speaking to the media ahead of Hero ISL 2020-21, Lobera highlighted his main objective for the upcoming season. “It's very important to play attacking football. Obviously, we need a balance between attack and defence because in football it’s not possible only to attack. This style of play is not only about winning. Of course, we want to win, but the whole goal is to win the competition. A lot of people ask me about clean sheets. But the most important thing for me is to win games,” Lobera said.

The Spaniard went on to underline the importance of beginning the season in a strong manner. “I want to play beautiful football, but my final objective is to win. My focus is always to win. We need to arrive at the first competitive match with the mindset that we have to win. We have a short period of time, but we need to prepare well for the first competition and the rest of the season because it's a big challenge,” he said.

City Football Group (CFG) bought majority stakes in Mumbai City last November and Lobera elaborated on how he’s benefitted with the participation of CFG. “I have received a lot of support and advice from the City Football Group. I am here not only because I can work with Mumbai City, but also because of the participation of the City Football Group. There are a lot of people with big knowledge about football and when you are working in this way it’s amazing. As a coach, I have all the tools I want to cover,” Lobera explained.

Meanwhile, one of Mumbai’s new signing for Hero ISL 2020-21, Farukh Choudhary shared his thoughts on the Islanders’ squad. “The club has done a great job and built a really strong squad. So far, the training has been great. We are getting to know each other, and we are trying to understand what the coach expects from us. As professional footballers, we expect to give our best in all the games and try to make sure that we win all the games,” he told indiansuperleague.com.

According to Farukh, the Islanders are targeting topping the Hero ISL table. “Our objective is to win all the games and get maximum points and top the league. We are preparing well and right now our focus remains on our first game of the league, which is against NorthEast United on the 21st. So, we are looking forward to the first game,” he added.

Mumbai City begin their Hero ISL 2020-21 campaign against NorthEast United FC on November 21 at the Tilak Maidan Stadium in Vasco.