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The match between Mumbai City FC and Jamshedpur FC will mark the beginning of the journey of two foreign coaches in India. Spanish man Cesar Fernando will take the duties for Jamshedpur FC while the same role for Mumbai City FC will be vested on Portuguese-born Jorge Costa.
The two clubs, who missed out playoffs last season would be rolling the ball with nothing less than a top four spot in mind.
Match Information:
Date: 02 October
Kickoff: 7:30 PM IST
Live Stream: Star Sports Channels and hotstar.com
Venue: Mumbai Football Arena, Mumbai
Team News:
Mumbai City FC -
Mumbai City FC has had a major revamp going into the new season, with the likes of a new coach and a number of new players. Under the new head, the Mumbai franchise will be looking for a more attacking style of play, which can seen from their pre-season matches (14 goals from 4 matches).
Hosting Jamshedpur FC, Mumbai will have familiar names at the back. Amrinder Singh has sealed his place in front of goal, and the back four will include veteran Lucian Goian and Anwar Ali as stoppers, supported by Shouvik Ghosh and Subhasish Bose on either side.
The midfield will most probably have Milan Singh, Raynier Fernandes and Mohammed Rafique along with new foreign signings like Modou Sogou and Paulo Machado. The attack will be sharpened with the goal scoring skills of Alen Deory and Rafael Bastos.
Mumbai City FC does have one injury concern, in the form of Davinder Singh, who might miss the entire season.
Jamshedpur FC
Jamshdpur FC will be eyeing to dispose of the title of being a non-goal scoring team. The Men of Steel went very close to the playoffs under Steve Coppell, even after scoring just 16 goals from the 18 matches. The team expects these stats to be rewritten with a legendary attacking lineup under Tim Cahill. The 38-year old Australian is the best player of this season, and has to be seen how he rises to the occasion.
Against Mumbai City FC, the new coach Cesar Fernando will be looking to get the combinations right. The team does have a huge Spanish touch with 5 of its 7 foreign signings from Spain, in addition to their coach.
JFC will have to start today with second-goalkeeper Subhasish Roy. The defense will have the services of Tiri, Robin Gurung, Raju Gaikwad and Yumnam Raju. The men in the midfield will be Mario Arques, Carlos Calvo, Bikash Jairu and Memo. It has to be seen whether the coach will bet on domestic star Michael Soosairaj, instead of Bikash Jairu. The goal scoring boots for today will most likely be donned by Sergio Cidoncha and Jerry Mawihmingthanga.
The absence of 'Indian Spiderman' Subrata Pal and Tim Cahill might be felt. They are forced to sit out due to suspensions carried forward from their respective previous seasons. JFC also has an injury concern in Dhanachandra Singh.
Probable Line-up:
Mumbai City FC (4-3-1-2): Amrinder, Ghosh, Anwar Ali, Goian, Bose, Milan, Raynier, Rafique, Sogou, Machado, Deory, Bastos
Jamshedpur FC (4-4-2): Subhasish, Gurung, Tiri, Gaikwad, Raju, Arques, Calvo, Memo, Jairu, Cidoncha, Jerry
Key Players:
Mumbai City FC - Rafael Bastos, bearing the goal-scoring duties for Mumbai, will be their key player in this outing. Coming to India after playing in different parts of the world, he does have the calibre to take the team to the playoffs. With over 200 competitive matches, Jamshedpur FC will have to do some homework to stop this man.
Jamshedpur FC - A mixture of Spanish beauty with attacking potential: the 6ft tall Sergio Cidoncha is the main man. With Tim Cahill forced to sit out, the 28-year old's responsibilities will double, and he will be made to play the striker role to get back to the hut with a winning smile.
Predictions:
Missing two of their most vital players, Jamshedpur might be under some pressure, which can be converted by Mumbai City FC into a win.
Predicted Score: 1-0
