It
wasn’t the start Alexandre Guimaraes and the boys would have hoped for as the
second round of fixtures kicked off with a disappointing 1-0 defeat to Kerala
Blasters at home. With three crucial points at stake, we welcome ISL newcomers
Bengaluru FC at the Arena tomorrow for a second home game in quick succession.
The Islanders had a golden
opportunity on Sunday to earn three points and catapult themselves into the top
4 after both FC Pune City and Bengaluru FC dropped points, but went down
fighting to a solitary Iain Hume goal under controversial circumstances.
Bengaluru FC ended 2017 on top
of the league standings and started the new year with a 1-0 win vs ATK. They
failed to consolidate their spot in the top 4 after they went down rather
surprisingly to struggling Delhi Dynamos who registered only their second win
of the season, the first in the last nine games.
A classic battle for a
play-off spot ensues as Guimaraes and the Islanders prepare for an important
six-pointer clash.
Where to watch it:
The game will kick off at 8pm
IST and will be broadcast on the Star Sports Network, Hotstar and Jio TV for
all viewers in India. For our global fans, you can find your broadcaster here.
You can also follow live action on our official Twitter account -
@MumbaiCityFC.
Team News:
Sehnaj
Singh is back after serving a two-match suspension following his red card
against Delhi Dynamos. Raju Gaikwad is back in contention for a berth in the starting
XI after recovering form a hamstring injury.
Bengaluru
FC will miss defender Subhashish Bose after he was sent off in their 2-0 defeat
at Delhi Dynamos FC.
History:
This will be the second
encounter between the sides following a 2-0 defeat on opening day for Alexandre
Guimaraes’ boys courtesy goals from BFC’s Edu Garcia and former Islander Sunil
Chhetri.
League Watch:
Chennaiyin
FC sit pretty on top of the table after a late strike from Gregory Nelson gave
them all three points against FC Pune City.
In
the only other game last week, Bengaluru FC were stunned by bottom-placed Delhi
Dynamos who convincingly beat them 2-0 courtesy goals form Lallianzuala
Chhangte and Guyon Fernandez.
The
other fixtures of the week are:
Wednesday,
17th January
Jamshedpur
FC vs Kerala Blasters FC (JRD Tata Sports Complex, 8pm)
Friday,
19th January
NorthEast
United FC vs Chennaiyin FC (Indira Gandhi Athletic Stadium, 8pm)
Saturday,
20th January
FC
Pune City vs ATK (Shree Shiv Chhatrapati Sports Complex Stadium, 8pm)
Sunday,
21st January
Jamshedpur
FC vs Delhi Dynamos FC (JRD Tata Sports Complex, 5.30pm)
Kerala Blasters FC vs FC Goa (Jawaharlal Nehru
Stadium, 8pm)
