Mumbai City vs Odisha: Preview and Prediction
The Indian Super League juggernaut rolls on and moves to the City of Dreams, Mumbai for the first time in the 2022-23 ISL campaign as the Islanders host Odisha on Saturday.
After a good performance in the AFC Champions League and the Durand Cup, Mumbai City has now set their eyes on the Indian Super League. The Islanders acted wisely in the summer transfer window as they signed some key players with prior experience in the league. That was all coach Des Buckingham needed to tune his team from last season which narrowly missed out on the ISL playoffs.
But, this season Mumbai will want to repeat the feat it had achieved in the 20/21 season when it won both the League Shield and the ISL title. It will not be an easy task for the Islanders but considering the artillery Des has in his team, the task looks much more simple.
With familiar faces and a newly shaped squad, Odisha began the 2022-23 ISL season on a positive note defeating Jamshedpur at their own den after coming from behind. Under the new Head Coach, Josep Gumbau the club named their first team for the Durand Cup. The side’s journey ended after bowing out in the Quarter Final against Mumbai City.
Last season, under head coach Kiko Ramirez and later on under assistant coach Kino Garcia who eventually became the head coach following Kiko’s departure, Odisha finished seventh in the league table – leaving a lot of room for improvement in the upcoming season.
Current Form
Mumbai City has had a lengthy preseason, having begun preparations for this ISL season and the AFC Champions League in March. After winning both of their pre-season friendlies in March, they finished second in their AFC Champions League group.
In the Durand Cup, they finished first in their group, winning two of their four games. They defeated Chennaiyin 5-3 in extra time in the quarter-finals before defeating Mohammedan 1-0 in the semi-finals.
They were ultimately defeated in the finals by Bengaluru by a score of 2-1. The Islanders also began the current edition of the ISL on a positive note drawing their first game in an enthralling 3-3 fashion.
On the other hand, Odisha competed in the Durand Cup 2022 and went undefeated in the group stages, winning all of their games. They began with a 6-0 win over NorthEast United reserves and finished with a 2-0 win over Kerala Blasters reserves. It was followed by 3-0 and 1-0 victories over Sudeva Delhi and Army Green.
However, the Juggernauts’ Durand Cup 2022 campaign was cut short in the quarter-finals when eventual winners Bengaluru defeated them 2-1 in extra time. The Josep Gombau-coached side also faced off against Chennaiyin in a pre-season friendly but was defeated 5-1.
Odisha started their season on a high after coming from behind to defeat Jamshedpur on the road. Diego Mauricio scored a brace while Isaac Vanmalsawma scored the other goal for Odisha. For the Men of Steel, it was Daniel Chukwu and Boris Thangjam who found the back of the net.
Head-to-Head Record
Mumbai City and Odisha have faced each other in 16 matches in the Indian Super League. Out of these 16 games, Mumbai City has won 8 whereas Odisha has come out victorious on 5 occasions. 3 fixtures between Mumbai City and Odisha have ended in a draw.
Both teams won one game apiece against each other last season. Odisha won the first fixture played between the two sides by a margin of four goals to two. Meanwhile, Mumbai City won the most recent such encounter between the two sides, having won that game by a margin of 4-1.
Team News
Last season’s Player of the Tournament Greg Stewart has signed for Mumbai City
Buckingham arguably made one of the most astute signings of the season when Mumbai signed Greg Stewart, who won the Player of the League award last season and will take centre stage in terms of scoring and creating goals.
The Islanders have also bolstered their foreign roster with four new signings in Rostyn Griffiths, Alberto Noguera, Jorge Pereyra Diaz, and Greg Stewart, while Mourtada Fall and Ahmed Jahouh remain key players from last season.
Alberto Noguera’s presence alongside Indian players like Apuia, Vinit Rai, and Rowllin Borges will undoubtedly improve their creativity upfront, with Noguera being of paramount importance in the middle of the park. Overall, Mumbai City appears to be a ready-to-rumble side, with several experienced players in Buckingham’s desired positions.
Odisha is a young team with a good mix of experience. 16 of their 32 players are either 25 or under the age of 25, with only six players over the age of 30.
The Juggernauts have plenty of options in both offensive and defensive areas, but they may be a little light in the midfield, given how important it is to the way they play football.
Gombau’s men have a good mix of Indian and foreign players across the pitch, and their squad appears to be quite strong.
Predicted Starting XIs
Mumbai City (4-4-2): Phurba Lachenpa; Rahul Bheke, Mehtab Singh, Mourtada Fall, Sanjeev Stalin; Lallianzuala Chhangte, Ahmed Jahouh, Apuia, Bipin Singh; Greg Stewart, Jorge Pereyra Diaz
Odisha (5-4-1): Amrinder Singh; Narender Gehlot, Osama Malik, Carlos Delgado, Shubham Sarangi, Sahil Panwar; Raynier Fernandes, Nandha Kumar, Jerry Mawihmingthanga, Saul Crespo; Diego Mauricio
Prediction
Mumbai City earned a point from their opening clash of the season with reigning champions Hyderabad. It was a 3-3 thriller with Mumbai drawing level late on to get their season off to a solid start but they will want to build on that as they host Odisha.
Having ended last season without a win in their last five, Odisha were able to overcome Jamshedpur to put that poor form behind them but Mumbai are tough to beat at home having avoided defeat in their last four so they should be able to secure a second positive result in this one.