The second leg of the Semi-final 1 will see on team play their last match of the season and the other team become the finalists of the Indian Super League (ISL) season 7.
Blast from the past:
Just a couple of days back, the Islanders fought back against the Gaurs in a 2-2 draw at the Fatorda.
Mumbai City FC:
The Islanders trailed twice but fortunately fought back to make it all square in the first leg. The metropolitan club will to kickoff the match on better note than the first leg. The City Football Group (CFG) owned outfit have already added one of the two available silverwares in the form of the League winners’ sheild but Sergio Lobera and his side are ever so motivated to guide Mumbai City FC to their first ever Hero ISL final appearance.
“No, I am not happy because there are two things that were important for me in the last game. First of all, we had chances to score more goals and we need to be more clinical in such situations. Secondly, I think the game was very open. We didn’t have control of the game during some periods in the game and gave them the opportunity to play between lines, with spaces and I think we need to improve on this,” said Sergio Lobera at the pre-match press conference.
FC Goa:
The Gaurs on currently enjoying their best ever unbeaten run of 14 matches and will only be looking to extend it further after tonight’s clash. FC Goa were not on the top of their game when it came to defending against the Islanders as they gave away the lead twice in the first leg. Juan Ferrando will definitely be looking to guide Goa to the Hero ISL final in his first season in-charge but for that his side will need to pass their final test of the season in Mumbai City FC.
“When we got into this game, Mumbai were just crowned the league champions. We got into the playoffs on the last day. I think the expectation was that Mumbai would have been far superior to us. But I think as the game went on, we felt that we were quite dominant in the game. The pressure is on them because they are considered the best team in the league right now. We just have to keep playing our football and see how our result shapes up,” said Juan Ferrando ahead of the game.
Players to watch out for:
Mourtada Fall:
The Senegalese centre back will come into this tie after scoring in consecutive matches for the Islanders and be no short of confidence. He has been one of the most consistent performers for the Islanders and that is why Mumbai City FC posses the one of the best defensive records in the league.
Jorge Ortiz Mendoza:
The 28 year old has been one of the best foreign recruits this season. The Spanish national has played a major role in FC Goa’s run to the play-offs. He was also named as they Hero of the match in the first leg against the Islanders and will looking to start off from where he left in the last game.
Probable Starting XI:
Mumbai City FC: Amrinder (GK), Ranawade, Fall, Santana, Vignesh, Jahouh, Borges, Raynier, Boumous, Bipin, Le Fondre.
FC Goa: Dheeraj (GK), Leander, Adil, Donachie, Saviour, Edu, Martins, Romario, Noguera, Ortiz, Angulo.