Mumbai City look to prevail over FC Goa and move up in ISL points table

Mumbai: Unbeaten in 13 matches against FC Goa in the Indian Super League (ISL), Mumbai City FC would look to prevail over their west coast rivals and move up to top-four in the points table in a crucial game here on Wednesday.

The Islanders will aim to extend their stranglehold against the Gaurs as their impressive unbeaten record in previous 13 ISL encounters includes eight wins and five draws.

A triumph on Wednesday will have Mumbai City cap off the league double over FC Goa for the fourth time, having done so earlier in 2017-18, 2021-22, and 2022-23.

FC Goa are placed second in the points table with 36 points from 19 matches, winning 10 games and drawing six. However, they faced their first away loss of the season when Jamshedpur FC beat the side 3-1 earlier this month.

As the ISL nears its business end, both these sides have different objectives coming into this match. FC Goa are 10 points behind the top-placed Mohun Bagan Super Giant (46), but their key objective right now is to safeguard their standing in the second spot.

A second place finish will mean that they qualify straight for the semi-finals and would not have to play the single-legged eliminator in the playoffs. For that, they would have to fend off competition from the third-placed Jamshedpur FC (34), with both sides having played the same number of games (19).

Mumbai City, fifth in the standings, have 31 points from 19 matches and they will move up to top four if they win on Wednesday. Their nearest challengers, NorthEast United FC have accumulated 29 points from 20 games. The home side will want to avoid any late slip-ups to secure a place in the top six.

Furthermore, the contest on Wednesday can have a huge impact on the eventual title race. If FC Goa lose against Mumbai City, and Mohun Bagan Super Giant beat Kerala Blasters away on February 15, the Mariners will become the ISL 2024-25 League winners.

The two teams have played 27 matches against each other in the ISL, with Mumbai City winning 12 times and FC Goa emerging victorious in seven games. Eight games have produced draws.

Mumbai City FC head coach Petr Kratky laid out the way he wants his team to approach the match against FC Goa.

“We want to keep the ball, be creative, and be dynamic and we need to continue working hard for that,” he said.

FC Goa head coach Manolo Marquez refused to look too far ahead in the league stages at the moment.

“The most important thing for us right now is the next game, and not the ones that follow. It doesn’t matter what happened in the past. We need to consider the circumstances around this match,” he said. PTI PDS PDS DDV