Mumbai FC coach wary of conditions, hopes for positive result against Salgaocar

The Mumbai club coached by the shrewd and calculated Khalid Jamil showed great character in their last outing against Pune FC last week. Despite playing with 10 men for more than 60 minutes, after Sampath Kuttymani was recd cared in the 29th minute, they did well to snatch a creditable draw with their neighbours and extend their unbeaten run to six consecutive games.

Jamil is keen that his players try to continue to play in the same vein and maintain the momentum.

“It was a tremendous, collective performance in the last match. I want the boys to produce another good show and get a positive result,” said Jamil after a light training session on Friday morning.

“This is an away match and against Salgaocar which is good, strong team. They also have the home advantage and it will be difficult to beat them,” Jamil pointed out.

Jamil was not willing to consider the 3-0 win against the Goans at home last month as an advantage. “That was a different game. Tomorrow will be a completely different situation and we have to be prepared,” he said.

Jamil also mentioned that the conditions could prove to be a crucial factor for his team.

“The natural grass ground here is completely different. The match also starts early at 4.30 pm, so we will have to adjust to the hot, humid conditions. The most important aspect is that we have to try and settle down quickly as the first 30 minutes will prove to be very crucial,” he further stated.

The bright side for Jamil is the return of Brazilian striker Josimar Da Silva, who missed the previous game due to suspension. Josimar, who has so far scored 5 goals in the league, will once again spearhead the Mumbai FC attack along with Abhishek Yadav in the absence of Jayesh Rane who is on national duty with the Indian team in Dhaka for the AFC Under-23 qualifiers.

Either Dane Pereira, who started in the last match or Pradeep Mohanraj will replace Kuttymani, who is forced to miss the game because of the red card.

Inspirational Japanese midfielder Taisuke Matsugne, who with an outstanding effort scored in the game against Pune, will once share the pivotal responsibilities along with the hard-working Ashutosh Mehta and Paresh Shivalkar in the absence of Kuttymani.

Goalkeeper Nidhinlal A.C., who has been brilliant under the bar and defenders Chika Wali, Justine Stephine, Rahul Bheke and Allan Dias will have to play another key role to ward off any threats to their citadel.

Mumbai FC, the lone club from the city participating in this premier club competition, have been unbeaten in the last six games, which include three big wins, including one away against Bharat FC earlier this month, and three creditable draws at home.

A win on Friday will lift the Mumbai club, who are currently placed 6th win 12 points, into the top half of the 11-team standings, while a draw will see their position unchanged.

Meanwhile, Salgaocar, who have beaten the Mumbai outfit four times in the last five meetings, are placed 7th with 11 points and if the manage a win they could switch places with the Mumbai team.