Goa vs Mumbai City: Preview and Prediction
Goa and Mumbai City will lock horns in ‘Match 103’ of the 2021-22 Indian Super League season at the Athletic Stadium on Saturday. While the Gaurs are already out of the semi-final race, this match will provide a golden opportunity for the Islanders to strengthen their position in the top four.
Goa made it to the semis last season but has had a completely contrasting campaign this time around, partly because of their former coach Juan Ferrando leaving them midway through the season and partly owing to their own mistakes. With only 18 points from as many matches, they are struggling at ninth place in the standings.
On the other hand, defending champions Mumbai City has not had it as easy as many expected but they still have done enough to remain in contention for a semi-final spot. The Islanders have accumulated 28 points from 17 matches and are occupying fourth place in the league standings.
Current Form
The recent weeks have been harsh on Goa, as they are among the only two teams to have lost their last couple of matches. In their previous outing, Derrick Pereira’s men suffered a 3-2 defeat against league leaders Hyderabad.
The Gaurs lost 2-0 against ATK Mohun Bagan before facing the Nizams, but the preceding game saw them secure a comfortable 5-0 triumph against Chennaiyin, courtesy of a Jorge Ortiz hat-trick.
Mumbai City has been fairly satisfactory in the recent run of fixtures. In their last three encounters, Des Buckingham’s men have secured six points and are coming into this match on the back of a hard-fought 1-0 win against East Bengal.
It was an extremely important victory since the Islanders were eager to get back to winning ways after losing the preceding game against Jamshedpur by a 3-2 margin. However, they won 4-1 against Odisha before taking on the Red Miners.
Head to Head Record
There is nothing to separate these two teams based on head-to-head records. Goa and Mumbai City have crossed paths 19 times in this competition and both teams have emerged victoriously on seven occasions, with five matches ending in stalemates.
The first match of this season produced a 3-0 scoreline in the Islanders’ favor. Igor Angulo netted a brace while the third goal was scored by a player who is not associated with the club now, Ygor Catatau.
Team News
Glan Martins could replace the suspended Edu Bedia
Pereira is expected to make three changes to the team that lost 3-2 against Hyderabad. Edu Bedia will have to serve a one-game suspension after picking up four yellow cards, but thankfully for Goa, Glan Martins is available to replace him after serving his suspension.
This will free up an overseas slot for the Indian tactician which he can utilize by playing Dylan Fox in central defense, with Anwar Ali slotting in as a left-back as he did against the Mariners. Besides that, Muhammad Nemil could come in for Makan Chothe.
Buckingham could field the same starting XI that won 1-0 against East Bengal, but it will not be surprising to see one tweak being made. Spanish striker Angulo was completely ineffective against the Red and Golds, as he failed to create any chance, had no shots on target, and could only get 11 touches of the ball.
Hence, the former Goa player might not get the chance of scoring against his former employers since the Islanders have a brilliant alternate option in Brazilian striker Diego Mauricio.
Predicted Starting Lineups
Goa (4-2-3-1): Dheeraj Singh Moirangthem; Leander D’Cunha, Ivan Gonzalez, Dylan Fox, Anwar Ali; Glan Martins, Princeton Rebello; Muhammad Nemil, Alberto Noguera, Brandon Fernandes; Jorge Ortiz.
Mumbai City (4-2-3-1): Mohamad Nawaz; Rahul Bheke, Mourtada Fall, Mehtab Singh, Vignesh Dakshinamurthy; Apuia Ralte, Brad Inman; Lallianzuala Chhangte, Cassinho, Bipin Singh; Digeo Mauricio.
Prediction
Given their recent form and quality on paper, Mumbai City is likely to secure all three points from this match. Hence, we have predicted a 2-0 scoreline in the Islanders’ favor.