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Bottom-placed SC East Bengal will square off against defending champions Mumbai City FC in Match 52 of the Indian Super League (ISL) on Friday at the Tilak Maidan Stadium.
Still winless after nine games, SC East Bengal remain static in the last spot on the ISL points table for some time now. However, under the interim coach Renedy Singh, the Red & Gold Brigade showed some signs of fight in their last game when they held in-form Bengaluru FC to a 1-1 draw.
That said, SC East Bengal's injury problems could come back to haunt them. Centre-back Tomislav Mrcela suffered an injury in the last game. Franjo Prce and Darren Sidoel are still recovering from ailments. Meanwhile, Antonio Perosevic is currently serving a five-match ban.
Mumbai City FC, on the other hand, steamrolled opposition teams for fun in the initial phase of the 2021-22 season. But they have recently suffered a slump in form and are winless in their last three games. This has also seen the Islanders lose their position at the top of the table to Hyderabad FC, albeit on goal difference.
SC East Bengal vs Mumbai City FC Head-to-head
The two ISL teams have locked horns on two previous occasions, with Mumbai City FC coming out on top both times. SC East Bengal will be hoping to get off the mark against the ISL heavyweights this time around.
Matches played: 2
SC East Bengal wins: 0
Mumbai City FC wins: 2
Draws: 0
SC East Bengal vs Mumbai City FC Team News
SC East Bengal: The Red and Gold Brigade are set to field a side with only one or two foreigners as stated by interim coach Renedy Singh in the pre-match press conference. Mrcela is out for two to three weeks after sustaining a muscle injury and Perosevic is serving his five-match suspension.
Mumbai City FC: In the Islanders camp, everyone is fit and available for selection except Vikram Singh and Rowllin Borges, who have been ruled out due to their respective injuries.
SC East Bengal vs Mumbai City FC Live Telecast and Streams
TV: Star Sports 2, Star Sports 2 HD, Star Sports 3, Hindi Commentary on Star Sports 1 Hindi, Star Sports 1 Hindi HD, Star Sports 1 regional channels— Tamil, Bengali, Kannada, Telugu.
Live Streaming: Disney+ Hotstar and JioTV.
Click here to view the today's ISL match.
SC East Bengal vs Mumbai City FC Prediction
Although Mumbai City FC are currently going through a rough patch, the defending champions have too much individual quality when compared to SC East Bengal.
The Red and Gold Brigade are expected to stick to their low-block system in the absence of their primary attacking outlet i.e., Antonio Perosevic. Renedy Singh will be looking to come away with a draw but Mumbai City FC look likely to steamroll their opposition.
Prediction: Mumbai City FC 3-0 SC East Bengal
