Why are no foreign players included in Mumbai City FC's squad for the AFC Champions League clash against Nassaji? 

Slumping to one defeat after another, Mumbai City FC have had a forgettable campaign in the AFC Champions League so far. Without a single point on the board, the Islanders will next travel to Iran to lock horns with Nassaji Mazandran.

However, going into the penultimate group-stage fixture, their form isn't the only vexation for Mumbai City. Des Buckingham, who had led the club to great heights during his tenure, recently bid farewell to the club. Now in another major blow, Mumbai won't have any of their overseas players at their disposal for the encounter against Nassaji.

Why have the foreign players not traveled for the fixture? Well, the Islanders have been faced with a unique challenge as despite their foreign players and foreign staff being granted Iranian visa approvals, the governments of the respective countries have issued travel advisories. The advisories have cautioned their citizens against traveling to the Middle Eastern country, on grounds of security concerns.

Assistant head coach Anthony Fernandes, who has taken over the reins at the club in the absence of a head coach, explained the situation during the pre-match press conference.

"We as a club respect every individual player and every country’s rules where they come from. It was a travel advisory from the players’ respective countries which we had to adhere to. And yes, it's a new situation for us. But we are as strong as we can be in this match," he said.

Hence, Mumbai City have been left handicapped and will be forced to field an all-Indian lineup on Tuesday. For a few players who have been on the fringes, however, this could be a glorious opportunity to prove their worth against some of the finest opponents on the continent.

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A look at Mumbai City FC's performance in the AFC Champions League 2023-24

After their historic run in the ACL last season, there was a huge weight of expectations on Mumbai City FC's shoulders. But the Islanders started their campaign in the continental competition with a 0-2 drubbing at the hands of their Tuesday's opponents Nassaji.

Matters continued to worsen as Navbahor subjected the 2022-23 ISL Shield winners to a 3-0 defeat.

Then came the two successive fixtures against Al-Hilal, which were slated to be the most important fixtures in Mumbai City's history. But the Islanders conceded a total of eight goals in the two matches; they were left overwhelmed by the incredible quality at the Saudi Pro League club's disposal.

With 13 goals conceded and none pumped in at the other end, Mumbai City are at the bottom spot without a single point. But there are still two outings left to salvage their campaign somewhat.