In the final game of Matchday 13 of the Indian Super League, reigning Shield winners Mumbai City take on Jamshedpur at the Mumbai Football Arena on Sunday from 7:30 PM IST.
Both teams come into the fixture with different ambitions – for Mumbai City, the onus will be to overtake Odisha and secure the third spot on the table to solidify their chances of defending their title. For Jamshedpur, the idea will no doubt be to rescue a season replete with inconsistent performances throughout.
The Red Miners are currently 10th on the table but a win, however unlikely it may sound, can help them leapfrog Bengaluru, East Bengal, and Chennaiyin into 7th spot if other results go their way.
Petr Kratky, who took charge of Mumbai City in early December following the departure of Des Buckingham will no doubt have a challenge on his hands with several departures and arrivals in his side during the winter transfer window. He will, however, be happy with the performances shown by young Indian starlets like Ayush Chhikara and Gurkirat during the 2024 Super Cup.
Khalid Jamil, who joined Jamshedpur in late December following the departure of Scott Cooper will also take heart from the fact that his squad put in a flawless performance in the Kalinga Super Cup group stage.
The Red Miners were actually the first team in the competition to qualify for the semi-final thanks to some solid performances from Daniel Chima Chukwu and Muhammed Uvais. Javier Siverio’s arrival from East Bengal on deadline day will no doubt boost Jamshedpur’s attacking threat as well.
Current Form
Mumbai City comes into the clash having had a mixed bag of results in the league since Kratky’s arrival – they have won a couple of matches against Mohun Bagan Super Giant and Chennaiyin, lost to Kerala Blasters, and drew against East Bengal and Goa.
In the Kalinga Super Cup, they topped their group – defeating Gokulam Kerala, Punjab, and Chennaiyin but lost 0-1 to Odisha in the semi-final which was a highly charged affair seeing multiple red cards.
Jamshedpur faced Northeast United in the first game of the resumed league season on Wednesday and drew 1-1 thanks to an Imran Khan goal. They were wasteful in the box, something Siverio’s arrival should solve for Jamil.
The Chima-Siverio combination could wreak havoc upfront, as the Nigerian striker was in fine form during the Kalinga Super Cup which led to them winning all their group games as well.
Head to Head Record
Interestingly, Mumbai City and Jamshedpur have faced each other 12 times so far with the Red Miners coming out on top 5 times while the Islanders have 4 wins under their belt. The remaining 3 fixtures ended in draws.
The two sides have yet to face each other in the league so far, with their last league clash coming in the 2022-23 ISL season. It ended in a 2-1 win for the Islanders as Lallianzuala Chhangte and Vikram Partap Singh bagged the goals for them.
Team News
How Iker fits into the Mumbai City side will be key to their chances
For Jamshedpur, forward Javier Siverio’s arrival on loan till the end of the season was their highlight of the winter transfer window. Siverio who comes with a proven pedigree and is a title winner with East Bengal will no doubt be key to Jamil’s plans.
For Mumbai City, the departures of key names such as Rostyn Griffiths, Abdenasser El Khayati, and Greg Stewart have been complemented by the arrivals of forward Iker Guarrotxena and Ishaan Shishodia.
Iker comes with a reputation on his side, having scored 13 goals in 23 ISL games for Goa last season and it remains to be seen how Kratky integrates him into the team.
Predicted Starting XIs
Mumbai City (4-3-3): Phurba Lachenpa; Rahul Bheke, Tiri, Yoell van Nieff, Valpuia; Vinit Rai, Apuia, Alberto Noguera; Vikram Partap Singh, Jorge Pereyra Diaz, Lallianzuala Chhangte.
Jamshedpur (4-1-3-2): TP Rehnesh; Provat Lakra, Pratik Chaudhari, Elsinho, Muhammed Uvais; Germanpreet Singh; Jeremy Manzorro, Emil Benny, Imran Khan; Javier Siverio, Daniel Chima Chukwu.
Prediction
Mumbai City certainly goes into the game as favorites but one can never undermine the impact Jamil has on whichever team he goes to. One can expect a hard-fought game to take shape under the lights of the Mumbai Football Arena but the home side will most likely take home all 3 points.