In the final game of Matchday 18 of the Indian Super League, Jamshedpur takes on Mumbai City at the JRD TATA Sports Complex on Friday from 7:30 PM IST.
Both teams come into the fixture with different ambitions as the onus will be on Mumbai City to overtake Odisha and secure the top spot on the table to solidify their chances of defending their title.
Petr Kratky, who took charge of Mumbai City in early December following the departure of Des Buckingham will be well aware of how important these 3 points could be for his side.
Under his tutelage, the Islanders have lost only 1 game since the league restarted in late January, winning 13 out of the 18 points in front of them which puts them in the enviable position of claiming back the right to lead the pack with a victory.
For Jamshedpur, the idea will be to keep pushing for the final playoff spot. The Red Miners are currently 7th in the league standings with 20 points. They are just 1 off Bengaluru, who have found a bit of form off late.
However, head coach Khalid Jamil will be confident of causing an upset as his team has lost only once and grabbed 11 points out of the 18 on offer since the league restarted. Youngsters like Mohammed Sanan and Nikhil Barla have been terrific under his reign and one hopes to see them shine against the reigning champions.
Current Form
Jamshedpur comes into this clash having suffered a 0-3 loss away to Mohun Bagan Super Giant – their first in the league this year. Dimitrios Petratos, Jason Cummings, and Armando Sadiku all found the back of the net as Imran Khan and Daniel Chima Chukwu were repeatedly denied by Vishal Kaith under the bars.
Not only was it their first league loss under Jamil but it was also the first league fixture under him that they failed to find the back of the net.
On the other hand, Mumbai City is coming off the back of a thrilling 3-2 win away to Punjab in their last fixture. It was winter signing Iker Guarrotxena’s second-half brace that made the difference for the Islanders after Lallianzuala Chhangte had netted in the first half. The Islanders also officially qualified for the playoffs with the win.
In all, they have scored 11 goals in the league this year so far and are the second-highest goal scorers so far in the league season with 29 goals.
Head to Head Record
Interestingly, Mumbai City and Jamshedpur have faced each other 13 times so far with the Red Miners coming out on top 6 times while the Islanders have 4 wins under their belt. The remaining 3 fixtures ended in draws.
The two sides last faced each other on 4th February this year, as Jamshedpur ran out 3-2 winners in the Mumbai Football Arena. Tiri headed the ball in from a corner routine to give the hosts the lead in the 14th minute.
In the 32nd minute, Chhangte crossed the ball in for Alberto Noguera and the Spaniard was on target for the Islanders to double their lead. The half-time team talk worked wonders for Jamil as Imran Khan pegged one goal back for the visitors in the 55th minute.
Jeremy Manzorro’s brace including an 87th-minute winning penalty kick handed Jamil’s side a memorable triumph in Mumbai and the Indian head coach would be eager to maintain his unbeaten record against the Islanders intact on Friday evening in Jamshedpur.
Team News
Iker’s form will give belief to Kratky and Co. ahead of the clash
For Jamshedpur, defender Jitendra Singh will be available for selection having served his suspension for picking up 4 yellow cards. Provat Lakra, Alen Stevanovic, Nikhil Barla, Seiminlen Doungel, and Jeremy Manzorro are all on 3 yellow cards and could be suspended if they pick up one more.
For Mumbai City, Jayesh Rane will miss out as he has to serve his suspension. Apuia and Vikram Partap Singh are both on 3 yellow cards so they need to be wary of themselves.
Iker picked up a knock against Punjab, so it remains to be seen if he can make the cut for this fixture. As such, we could see forward Jorge Pereyra Diaz who has 6 league goals this season to his name, return to action again following his Super Cup suspension.
Predicted Starting XIs
Jamshedpur (4-4-2): TP Rehenesh; Provat Lakra, Pratik Chaudhari, PC Laldinpuia, Muhammed Uvais; Mohammed Sanan, Elsinho, Jeremy Manzorro, Imran Khan; Javier Siverio, Daniel Chima Chukwu.
Mumbai City (4-3-2-1): Phurba Lachenpa; Rahul Bheke, Mehtab Singh, Thaer Krouma, Akash Mishra; Apuia, Alberto Noguera, Yoell van Nieff, Lallianzuala Chhangte, Vikram Partap Singh; Jorge Pereyra Diaz.
Prediction
Mumbai City certainly goes into the game as favourites but one can never undermine the impact Jamil has had on Jamshedpur in a short period of time. One can expect a hard-fought game to take shape under the lights in Jamshedpur but it would be foolish to write the home team off considering the upset they caused in the reverse fixture.