Mumbai, January 30: Mumbai City FC will play hosts to East Bengal FC at the Mumbai Football Arena in the Indian Super League (ISL) 2024-25 on January 31, Friday, at 7:30 pm IST. The Islanders must be pleased at returning to winning ways with a 3-0 triumph against Mohammedan SC last week.
They will aim to extend that stretch and stay amongst the playoff spots, since the team is currently placed sixth with 27 points on the back of seven victories and six draws. The Petr Kratky-coached side has a chance to do a league double for the second time over the Red & Gold Brigade, having won the reverse fixture by 3-2 previously.
However, Mumbai City FC haven’t beaten them at home in the competition, even being unable to find the back of the net in both of their previous encounters against the Kolkata-based side in this stadium, losing and drawing once each.
East Bengal FC, however, have struggled to find their feet on the road this season. They have won just once in their last eight away games, drawing once and losing six times. Their last two away matches have given them 0-1 results against them. However, East Bengal FC’s last game saw them bag a 2-1 win against Kerala Blasters FC, as they snapped their two-game goal drought.
Currently, the Red & Gold Brigade are at the 11th spot in the points table. They have won and drawn once in their previous five matches, losing thrice, and have 17 points from as many games. Trailing the sixth-placed Islanders by 10 points, this is their chance to cut the gap in a direct contest and then hope to produce a winning run to make a late surge for the playoffs. Whether they succeed in doing so is something that remains to be seen, but they will take confidence from Mumbai City FC’s recent 0-3 home losses to NorthEast United FC and Jamshedpur FC.
Mumbai City FC’s Strong Defence
· Robust Backline: Defensively, Mumbai City FC have allowed the fewest touches (274) in their penalty area and conceded the least shots from inside the box (106). The team has kept six clean sheets and given away 22 goals in ISL 2024-25.
· Goal Drought: However, the Islanders have not consistently been at the top of their game upfront. They scored the fourth-least goals in the ISL, netting 22 times, as Nikolaos Karelis leads the charts for them with nine strikes followed by Lallianzuala Chhangte at two goals.
East Bengal FC To Double Down Upon Duels?
· Unsuccessful Duels: East Bengal FC have registered the lowest success rate (47.7%) among all teams in duels, which is nearly four percentage points below Mumbai City FC (51.4%). They will want to rectify this trend so as to not let teams overpower them in critical areas of the field.
· Silva’s Struggles: After scoring eight goals and registering three assists last season, Cleiton Silva has failed to find the back of the net even once in the current campaign. He has made 41 touches inside the opposition’s box and taken eight shots on target but not converted any of them, which has played a part in the team’s issues in the final third, as they are the third-least scoring team (17) in the league in 2024-25.
Coach’s Corner
“We feel that we are getting stronger”
Mumbai City FC head coach Petr Kratky said that he believes that the team is getting better with every game.
“We feel that we are getting stronger and better, which is very important for me as a coach. I am very happy with where we are and how we’re doing,” he said.
“All the games are very tight”
East Bengal FC head coach Oscar Bruzon touched upon the unpredictability of every game in the ISL.
“One of the good things about the ISL is that every game is very tight. All lineups are very balanced. You can never predict which team is going to win which match,” he said.
Head-to-Head
The two teams have faced each other off nine times in the ISL. Mumbai City FC have won six games, whereas East Bengal FC have emerged victorious twice. One game has produced a draw.
Key Players & Milestones
• Mumbai City FC’s Lallianzuala Chhangte is one assist away from equaling Ahmed Jahouh’s record (15) for the most assists by a Mumbai City FC player in ISL history. The 27-year-old has recorded five goal contributions (3G, 2A) in his 16 league appearances this season.
• Mumbai City FC’s Nikolaos Karelis, who scored a brace in the reverse fixture against East Bengal FC, has two career braces in ISL. Only Jorge Pereyra Diaz and Igor Angulo (three each) have more for Mumbai City FC. The 32-year-old has notched a 23.68% goal conversion rate in the current campaign of the competition.
• East Bengal FC’s Vishnu Puthiya, who has netted four times this season, is one goal away from levelling Nandhakumar Sekar’s record (5 goals in 2023-24) for the most goals by an Indian player in a single ISL season for the club. The 23-year-old has also made 42 recoveries and emerged victorious in 76 duels this season.
ISL Fantasy
Mehtab Singh (5.5cr)
The Mumbai City FC star has earned the most ISL fantasy points (119) in his team this season
Hijazi Maher (5.3cr)
The East Bengal FC player has bagged the most ISL fantasy points (64) in his team this season
The Indian Super League will be streamed live on JioCinema (English, Hindi, Bengali, and Malayalam) and telecast live on Sports 18 – 3 (English, Hindi, Bengali, and Malayalam), Asianet Plus (Malayalam). Additionally, select ISL matches will be telecast live on Sports 18 – 1, Sports 18 – 2, Sports 18 – Khel, and Star Sports 3.