Iain Hume, with a little bit of help from Sameehg Doutie, scored a hat-trick last season when Atletico de Kolkata ran Mumbai City FC ragged, winning 4-1. The Canadian striker and the midfielder from South Africa return for another dose of ISL action at the Mumbai Football Arena.
ATK comes for Tuesday’s away tie armed with attacking flair in not just Hume and Doutie but also the experienced Spaniards Borja Fernandez and Javier Lara. Gearing up for his third match, head coach Jose Molina is trying out various combinations up front, as cover for the injured Helder Postiga. The visitor has survived high-intensity games against Chennaiyin FC and Kerala Blasters FC, so it can be relied upon to get cracking straight from kickoff.
The Mumbai City FC defence has withstood pressure in two wins from two games so far, but standing up to waves of attacks from Molina’s men will be a stern test for Alexandre Guimaraes’ team.
Talking about the opposition, the Costa Rican coach said, “ATK retained players from last season, particularly foreigners, so they have a good knowledge of each other. We have to remain focused, be solid and compact.”
Molina, his counterpart, said, “Our teams play a similar style and the match will be interesting."
When asked about how his team will deal with the threat of Diego Forlan, who has one goal and one assist in two games, Molina said, "I think Mumbai City have good players in attack, midfield and defence. I like my team to defend together, as a team and against a team, not against one or two players.”
