ISL 2019-20: Mumbai City out to cement spot in top four

Mumbai City will look to further cement its place in the top four of the Indian Super League (ISL 2019-20) table when it hosts Jamshedpur FC on Thursday.

Published : Feb 05, 2020 19:55 IST , Mumbai

Mumbai City, led by Jorge Costa (L), had handed Antonio Iriondo's Jamshedpur FC a 2-1 defeat in the reverse fixture.
Mumbai City, led by Jorge Costa (L), had handed Antonio Iriondo's Jamshedpur FC a 2-1 defeat in the reverse fixture.
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Mumbai City, led by Jorge Costa (L), had handed Antonio Iriondo's Jamshedpur FC a 2-1 defeat in the reverse fixture.

Mumbai City FC will be out to consolidate its position in the top four of the Indian Super League (ISL 2019-20) when it hosts Jamshedpur FC at the Mumbai Football Arena on Thursday.

Jorge Costa's side is currently two points clear of fifth-placed Chennaiyin FC, with a game in hand, and a win will give it a much-needed cushion of comfort. Given that its final two matches are against a lethal FC Goa and Chennaiyin, Mumbai will be eager to pocket all three points on offering against Jamshedpur.

Talking on the eve of the match, Jorge Costa said: “We must respect Jamshedpur. There are three games till the end of the regular season and we have not changed a lot of things and we will not change. Sometimes we have to make small tweaks, but we will stick to our plan. We need three points. Any point that we lose is very bad for us. We have two options: to win or win. There is no other option.”

Mumbai won both of its previous home games without conceding a goal and its defence has been sturdy recently, conceding just one goal in three matches. Rowllin Borges has been a vital cog in midfield while Diego Carlos has also been in exemplary form, having struck the match-winning goal against NorthEast United.

Diego-Carlos
Diego Carlos will be among Mumbai City's key men when the side hosts Jamshedpur FC in the ISL 2019-20 on Thursday.
 

The winger will once again have to rise to the occasion, given that star forward Modou Sougou has been ruled out of the match after picking up a suspension.

Mumbai will also be buoyed by the fact that Jamshedpur has a poor record in away games, having lost its last three away matches.

Jamshedpur, coming off a 0-3 defeat to ATK, is seventh on the table with 16 points. The side isn't completely out of the top-four race but a win on Thursday could bring it to within four points of Mumbai. However, coach Antonio Iriondo needs a spark from his team to turn its fortunes around. The likes of Sergio Castel and Noe Acosta need to deliver upfront while midfielder Piti could make a comeback from injury.

“We just want to score and create more chances. We need to convert chances. We are not working on having the ball but on creating chances. That's what we are working on,” said Iriondo.

Jamshedpur has had concerns at the back as the team's defence has suffered after Tiri's injury. The side has conceded eight goals in two matches, with the bulk of them due to defensive errors.

“They (Mumbai) have a good balance between Indian and foreign players. They will be without a good foreign player (Sougou). But they have good replacements. They are a compact team and if there are gaps if any we will try to find those,” added Iriondo.

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