Mumbai FC hold clear edge against Sporting Clube de Goa

by Shrutee K/DNS

Mumbai, April 30: Mumbai FC are determined to maintain their winning momentum and extend their superb unbeaten home record when they cross swords with Sporting Clube de Goa in the 2016 Federation Cup first round (home) fixture at the Cooperage ground on Sunday evening. The match will kick-off at 7.00 pm.

The Mumbai outfit produced some outstanding performances in the last two I-League outings, defeating Shillong Lajong 2-1 and recording a convincing 4-0 win against DSK Shivajians in the concluding league match to clinch the fifth position. Mumbai FC coach Khalid Jamil is confident that his players can reproduce the same kind of form and performance on Sunday.

Meanwhile, Mumbai FC also boasts of staying unbeaten in the last 18 matches at this ground and they are keen to continue with that unbeaten run. Since the 1-0 defeat to Goa’s Dempo SC in February 2015, during the 2014-15 I-League season the Mumbai club was unbeaten in the remaining three games that year. They stayed unbeaten in all the eight home matches (4 wins & 4 draws) of this season’s I-League and they had also won all the seven MDFA Elite Division league matches.

Coach Jamil stated that the team has benefitted a lot from the home matches and that the last two games have been very good. “The home matches have been very good for us, especially the last two, which we won and I am confident we come up with another good showing. But this is going to be a different story as now this is a new tournament with new fresh formats,” Jamil mentioned during the pre-match press briefing.

However, Jamil was a bit wary of his Goan opponents and is not prepared to take them lightly. “Sporting are a good, strong and solid team. We drew (2-2) the last time when we played against them at home. We were very luckily to get a point, so we have to put up a much better performance when we play against them tomorrow,” Jamil pointed out.

Jamil’s counterpart Sporting coach Mateus Costa believes that their performance in the I-League has given the players the confidence and that his team is in good shape and prepared for the match. “The win against Salgaocar in the last I-League match has definitely given us a good boost, the players are in good shape and are just raring to go and hopefully we can put up a good show tomorrow,” Costa opined.

Mumbai FC faces no injury or suspension issues and all the key players are fit to play. On the other hand, the Goans will be without their main strikers Odafa Okolie and Mohamoud Al Amenah, both out due to injuries.

As such the odds seem to be heavily tilted in favour of the Mumbai club and the home fans can expect to witness another strong performance from their players.

The match kicks-off at 7.05pm.