FULL-TIME: ODISHA FC 2-0 MUMBAI CITY FC
90+4' Aridane and Nandhakumar combine on the left as the former gets a shot straight at the goalkeeper. Sougou gets a shot at the goal which is straight down Dorronsoro's throat as the referee blows the whistle to bring end the match.
90+3' WIDE! Fanai lurks dangerously inside the box as he connects a powerful header from Nandhakumar's cross from the left which goes agonisingly wide.
90+2' Aridane wins a free kick on the left which is taken short. Chermiti rams into Tebar from behind and is lucky to escape without a booking.
90' Chermiti goes down inside the box after coming under a challenge from Carlos Delgado. However, the referee has a good view of the incident and signals play on.
89' Mumbai has been unable to get the ball into the final third as it is too easy for Odisha's players to deal with.
86' Aridane is shown a yellow card for a push on Larbi. Vinit Rai walks off the pitch for a steady applause from the home crowd as he makes way for Bikramjit Singh.
85' Mumbai's long throw-in is dealt easily by the Odisha defence. The visitor's resultant corner does not do much to threaten Dorronsoro and Odisha is comfortable is passing the ball around.
83' Odisha goes for its second change as Jerry makes way for Lalchhuanmawia Fanai. Amrinder is put under pressure by Fanai's run at him as Vinit Rai is booked for a clip on Chermiti.
80' Xisco has hands on his hips and is wincing in pain. The medical staff stretchers him off the pitch. Martin Guedes is sent in as a substitute by Josep Gambau.
77' Bidyananda Singh gives away the ball in the centre as Odisha recycles the ball. The full-back wins it back and passes it to Sarthak cuts in from the right and finds Sougou in the centre who blazes it over the bar.
74' GOAL ODISHA! Valpuia gives away a throw-in which Sarangi finds Aridane in the box whose header is not dealt well by Mumbai defence. The forward lays it off to Xisco, who smashes a volley into the back of the net.
73' Xisco and Vinit Rai play one-two on the right but the former's run is cut short by Kevyn's backheel clearance.
71' Raynier latches on to a loose ball outside the box and puts Sarthak through to the goal. However, the full back does not time his run and the ball rolls out for a goal kick.
69' Things are spinning out of Mumbai's control as Valpuia brings down Jerry on the right flank and gets a yellow card.
67' Serge Kevyn is booked by the referee for a petulant foul on Xisco which incenses Gambau on the pitch.
65' Aridane and Nandhakumar take advantage of a mistake from Pratik as they barge into the box as Sarthak puts in a last-ditch tackle to clear the ball.
63' Dorronsoro is shown a yellow card for time wasting off an Odisha goal kick.
60' Kevyn tries to find Raynier who makes a run behind the left back, but Bora blocks out the midfielder's run for a goal kick. Valpuia replaces Subhasish who is in pain after receiving a knock to his rib cage.
58' Xisco chases a lofted pass and beats Sarthak for pace. Amrinder needlessly comes off his line while Pratik holds off Xisco on the right. Mumbai might soon make a change as Subhasish is seen struggling.
56' SAVE! Jerry escapes the offiside trap and gets on the end of a Xisco throughball. The winger is left with just the goalkeeper to beat but Amrinder sticks his hand out to make a vital save.
54' Subhasish Bose is writhing in pain as he receives treatment on the sidelines following a clash with Shubham Sarangi on the side.
52' Odisha's urgency has paid off in the second half while the Mumbai defence looks stunned after conceding. Serge Kevyn tries to do all by himself as he motors away on the left flank and curls a dangerous ball at the far post, plucked out of the air by Dorronsoro.
49' Close! The Mumbai defence looks rattled by the opening goal as Santana finds himself with acres of space just outside the 6-yard box. However, the striker passes it back to Xisco nearby as Pratik scampers away to clear the ball.
47' GOAL ODISHA! A brilliant run on the right from Xisco gets to the byline and cuts it back to Aridane waiting at the far post who finishes with the simplest of the finishes.
46' Second half begins! Prathik is booked by the referee for a cynical foul on Aridane.
HALF-TIME: ODISHA FC 0-0 MUMBAI CITY FC
45+1' Josep Gambau gets into an argument with the fourth official over the added minute. The Odisha head coach receives a stern warning from the referee Ramaswamy Srikrishna.
45' Shot! Xisco finds space on the left and tries to find Aridane in the center with a cross. Grgic's failed clearance falls for Nandhakumar who skips past Subhasish and pulls the trigger which is straight at Amrinder.
44' Close! Odisha fails to deal with Chermiti's shot from the edge of the area as Sougou pounces on the loose ball and curls it towards the far post. Dorronsoro dives to his right but the ball sails wide off the post.
41' A dangerous throw-in from Sarthak is punched away by Dorronsoro which falls for Sougou inside the box. The striker gets his shot away at the near post but Dorronsoro does well to recover from his initial clearance to collect the ball.
39' Odisha wins its ninth corner of the match but Xisco's delivery is straight for Kevyn to clear. For all its possession and winning the set-pieces, the host has only managed just one shot on the goal so far.
37' A lapse of concentration from Sarangi allows Larbi to float a ball for an onrushing Rowlin who is taken off the ball by Delgado.
35' Narayan Das is given space on the left to cross at the far post which Pratik clear for another corner. Kevyn's failed clearance from the corner falls for Tebar who goes for an overhead kick but does not force Amrinder into a save.
33' Sarthak sends the ball into the box from a throw in as Subhasish glances a header straight at Dorronsoro.
29' Grgic gives away a corner after Vinit Rai finds Jerry who hits a low cross from the right side which is played out for the sixth corner. Serge Kevyn jumps over Tebar to head it away for another corner. This next delivery from Xisco is straight into the crowd at the near post which Amrinder punches it away while hitting his shin on the post during the process.
27' Chermiti tries to chase a long ball from a free kick but only manages to kick it out for an Odisha goal kick. Jerry, Aridane and Nandhakumar combine in the final third as Rowlin comes up with a desperate clearance.
24' Aridane gives Jerry a lofted ball to chase as Pratik's attempted sliced clearance goes out for an Odisha throw in.
22' A wayward long ball from Rowlin is far from Kevyn as Odisha counters quickly. Aridane gets to the byline and crosses into the box from the right corner but Grgic heads it away to safety.
20' Sougou races away to the byline and turns Sarangi inside out. Delgado puts in a robust tackle to take the ball off the forward's feet.
18' Chance! Odisha wins another corner as Xisco curls it towards the far post. Subhasish makes a mess of the clearance which is played at Nandhakumar who is blocked by Sarthak.
16' Xisco passes it wide towards Nandhakumar who pauses a moment and crosses into the box which is straight at Amrinder. The Odisha winger threatens once again few seconds later as this time he finds the head of Aridane which goes wide off the back post.
14' Sarthak slices open the Odisha defence with a brilliant through ball as Sougou flashes it across the face of the goal. The home team needs to be more careful.
13' Delgado is closed down by Sougou as he desperately passes it for Bora who escapes two Mumbai challenges and plays a blind pass into the other half.
11' Kevyn does well to fend off Jerry on the right as Odisha wins a third corner of the match. Xisco tries to find Tebar outside the 6-yard box but the forward is unable to hold on to the ball.
9' Xisco goes down in the centre after he hauled off the ball by Rowlin, but the referee says play on. Odisha wins back the possession as Nandhakumar crosses it towards Jerry who only manages lift the ball over the goal post. It is a positive start to the game by the host.
7' Mumbai gets a shot away after Raynier crosses into the box which Subhasish glances at the near post but there is no real power behind the header and Dorronsoro collects it easily.
5' Nandhakumar wins another corner for the host as Xisco delivers a good ball into the box which cleared by Rowlin. Sarangi wins the second ball and tries an audacious long range strike which flies over the crossbar.
3' Jerry wins a corner for Odisha as his delivery is low and Sougou heads it away to safety. Sougou brings down a cross from the left with an elegant first touch but he has no support upfront as he hauled off the ball by Carlos Delgado.
1' Here we go! Odisha begins the proceedings from right to left.
The players are out on the pitch for the Indian national anthem. Five more minutes to kick off..
What's at stake?
Odisha FC, which moved to fifth with a 2-0 win over Chennaiyin FC, is just one point behind today's opponent Mumbai City FC which is fourth with 15 points from 11 games. A draw would see Mumbai City keep its place for now.
Lineups
Here is our preview of the crucial match in the play-offs race
Odisha FC will leave nothing to chance as it battles with Mumbai City FC, possibly its most direct competitor for the play-off spot in the Indian Super League, at the Kalinga Stadium here on Saturday.
After starting the season with away fixtures and then playing a couple in Pune as its home stadium was getting ready, Josep Gombau's team has notched two home wins in a row at the Kalinga Stadium. Odisha edged Jamshedpur 2-1 before defeating Chennaiyin 2-0 in its last outing.
On the other hand, Mumbai City's three-game winning run was brought to a halt as it suffered a defeat at the hands of an in-form ATK side in its last game. Mumbai has lost only once in its last seven fixtures and this run of form has seen it climb to the fourth spot with 16 points from 11 matches.
Odisha has been inconsistent and has not been able to find a rhythm yet, but is not far behind, at fifth with 15 points. Odisha has looked brilliant at times, playing attractive football, but has been found wanting at the back.
Home fixture a boost for Odisha
Aridane Santana scored a brace as Odisha defeated Mumbai 4-2 away from home earlier this season.Ahead of the reverse fixture, Gombau felt that being able to play at Odisha's home ground should give the players extra motivation to do well.
"It is a very important game for us. It is a six-point game, it is for the top four. Tomorrow (Saturday) two-thirds of the league will be over. We are confident, we are working hard. The boys are hungry and I think we can do a good job.
"I think for a long time we did not play home games. We played 10 games away. Then to come here and get the support of the people here is great. Finally, we are playing at home and it is extra motivation. We are happy to be here,” said Gombau.
Mumbai focused on itself
Mumbai assistant coach Marco Leite believes it is important to focus on themselves more than their opponent and is confident that the Mumbai players can do a good job against a top-four rival.
"They have a very good team. They do simple things but very effectively. They have players that can unbalance the matches but so do we. They have their weapons and we have ours. They have quality players, both foreigners and Indian, but we are not concerned specifically about any player but the entire team,” said Leite.
The Indian players of Odisha, Vinit Rai and Jerry Mawihmingthanga in particular, have been stand-out performers, with the latter scoring two goals and registering four assists from the wings. Aridane has been very effective in the attacking third and has six goals and an assist to his name. Add Xisco Hernandez' technique to the midfield and Odisha has a side that can take full control of a game.
The injury to Paulo Machado is a huge setback for the visitor as he is a key player in midfield. However, in-form striker Amine Chermiti and last season's top scorer Modou Sougou, who recently scored a brace to break his duck, will look to feed off crosses from the likes of Diego Carlos who has threatened from wide areas.
When and where to watch?
The match will be streamed live on the Hotstar app and broadcast on the Star Sports network from 7.30 pm onwards.
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