After three consecutive goal-less draws, Mumbai City FC face a tough task in their search for a win as they take on table-toppers Chennaiyin FC in a Hero Indian Super League match in Mumbai on Sunday.
The Peter Reid-coached home side have been in a poor run of form in the last few matches and they have not been able to find the back of the net against FC Goa twice and the Kerala Blasters, despite creating a lot of chances.
The former Manchester City manager was not pleased with his team’s finishing in the last outing against FC Goa at home and after a gap of almost a week, the team would have been rejuvenated and worked hard on their weaknesses.
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Defenders Pavel Cmvos, Manuel Fredrich, Johan Letzelter have manned the Mumbai citadel well to help custodian Subrata Paul maintain a clean sheet in last five games.
Mumbai’s strike force comprising French import Nicolas Anelka, Brazilian Andre Moritz, Subhash Singh would look to make their stride and penetrate the Chennaiyin defence.
Chennaiyin, managed by Italian World Cup winner Marco Materazzi, are a formidable outfit and do not lack in attacking firepower either.
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Brazilian signing Elano Blumer, the youngest marquee player in the ISL, has been a prolific contributor to the team’s cause, scoring in almost every match he has played.
The midfielder, who has played for Manchester City, has scored eight goals in his nine appearances. He has found an able partner in Colombian striker John Mendoza, who has found the back of the net four times.
The Abhishek Bachchan and Mahendra Singh Dhoni co-owned team had featured in four drawn games before thrashing Pune City 3-1 in their previous match and would look to extend the winning momentum.
The hosts might have been undefeated in the last five matches but their last loss came at the hands of Sunday’s same opponents in the 5-1 drubbing on October 28, and the Ranbir Kapoor co-owned home side would be wary of that fact.
Materazzi and Mikael Silvestre missed the previous game against Pune due to injuries and Chennaiyin’s defence would certainly be boosted should they report fit tomorrow.
Mumbai have 12 points in their kitty from nine games, while Chennaiyin have 16 points from their nine matches.