The Mumbai FC players looked quite relaxed ahead of their fifth round I-League 2016-2017 match to be played at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, Shillong, Meghalaya on Saturday evening. The match kicks-off at 4.35 pm.
Mumbai FC Head Coach Santosh Kashyap (2nd left) shakes hands with Shillong Lajong Manager Thangboi Singto at the pre-match briefing ahead of the 5th round –I-League match
Mumbai FC, the only club from the city participating in this national championship, had started with a bang winning the opening two rounds with convincing wins against DSK Shivajians 1-0 at home and then defeated Churchill Brothers 2-1 in a away fixture. But they were unfortunate to lose the next two rounds and now face a stiff challenge as they now are on the road, scheduled to play four successive away matches, with the first one against the north-eastern side tomorrow.
However, Head coach Santosh Kashyap sounded optimistic about Mumbai FC returning back to winning ways after losing their way a bit in the last two games. “This is a very important game for us. It’s going to be good tough match but we are prepared to work hard and try to get a positive result as we only want to play for a win,” Kashyap said.
“Shillong had a bad start to the league losing the three opening games, but in the last game at home they got a winning momentum, which they would certainly want to maintain. So it’s going to be difficult for us. I also believe that for any away match, Shillong are the toughest side to play against,” Kashyap further stated.
“The home conditions would certainly favour them, but we will give a good fight and hope to get a favourable result. I know the home conditions, but only a few of our players have played here so that’s another issue as the others have to get used to the cooler climate,” the Mumbai coach said warily.
Meanwhile, Shillong manager Thangboi Singto wants to continue with their winning run of form. “We got a good result in the he last match, but have to be more consistent. In the previous game we were good in the first half but the second half was not very good, which is alarming. Against good strong teams we have to be consistent from start to end and that is the only way we can win,” said Singto.
“Mumbai is a tough team and with new power in hand with coach Santosh Kashyap, they are a force to reckon with. But we have had a couple of days to rest and regroup for this game against Mumbai who have always proved tough to beat,” Singto further said.
Mumbai FC defender Lalchawnkima is still recovering from a hamstring injury and will continue to sit out. Pratesh Shirodkar who suffered a knee injury in the last game has not travelled with the team. But coach Kashyap will have the option to start with his new foreign recruits Densill Theobald a midfielder from Trinidad and Tobago and Robson Santana (Robinho) and attacking midfielder from Brazil. Theobald had a brief stint in the last game but could not make an immediate impact so it will have to be seen if he is give a start tomorrow.
The Mumbai side, who currently occupy the 5th position with six points, could improve their standing if they manage to pick all the three points. On the other hand, the home side lying in 7th place with three points would also be keen to move up in the table.