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Mumbai City FC will take on Atletico de Kolkata in their final home game of the season at the D.Y. Patil Stadium in the Indian Super League on Sunday evening.
Still in with a mathematical chance of making it to the last four, the hosts have everything to play for against a solid Kolkata unit who have struggled in recent matches after a splendid start to their campaign.
And since this is their last home game of the season, Mumbai City FC would be keen to put up a good show and give the fans something to cheer. The loyal and enthusiastic home fans deserve nothing less than a victory to sign off, and the Mumbai City FC players will try everything to give the fans what they deserve.
Mumbai City FC went down 0-3 to the same opponents in Kolkata in their season opener, and would have surely learnt a lot about the opposition from that game. Mumbai City FC were solid till the half-time in that game, and would be cautious to not let it slip away in the second half, like they did in Kolkata.
That game was played just a little under two months ago, and a lot of things have changed since then. Hence, Mumbai City FC won’t need to carry any burden of that loss, and would do well to look at it as a fresh game.
Coach Peter Reid has often spoken about being solid at the back, and that is something the Mumbai City FC have tried to work on throughout the season. And they will try to ensure that all the hard work done in the practice shows in the final result against Kolkata, who have a very good forward line. Goalkeeper Subrata Pal has often been left stranded, and that is something Mumbai City FC would try to avoid on Sunday.
In the absence of Freddie Ljungberg, Nicolas Anelka and Moritz, the hosts’ forward line has not looked threatening enough. And although coach Reid has been honest enough to not make that as an excuse, the absence of these experienced pros has had an impact.
Mumbai City FC have scored just once in the last six games, and that is one stat they would love to change on Sunday. A goal early in the game can change the whole scenario, and can lift the morale of the entire team and keep their slim semifinal hopes alive.
It’s not that the Mumbai City FC have not created the chances, but at times, have been let down by their finishing. However, one quality finish, especially early on, can change that, and that’s something Mumbai City FC would try to achieve on Sunday. And should that happen, it could be a different contest altogether.
"I am not looking at mathematical permutations and combinations. As a coach, I am just going to try and win the game with as many goals as possible," Mumbai City FC coach Peter Reid said on the eve of the game. "We just got to go out there and try and win the game, and that's what we are going to do," he added.
