Calcutta/ Navi Mumbai: In what could be termed as the Maharashtra’s Indian Super League derby, Mumbai City FC and FC Pune City will lock horns at the DT Patil Stadium, in Navi Mumbai, with both teams seeking a win after an unimpressive start in the franchise-based football tournament.
Both were winless in their lung openers. While Pune City got with a point after the goalless draw against Delhi Dynamos, Mumbai City were thrashed 0-3 by Atletico de Kolkata (ATK) in the inaugural match last Sunday.
Both teams, thus, will be eager to get their campaigns back on track with a victory in front of a big crowd witnessing a top-level football competition for the first time in this satellite town.
While Mumbai City did not get the desired result, there were quite a few positives that the team could take from the encounter.
Despite the absence of their marquee player Freddie Ljungberg of Sweden and Frenchman Nicolas Anelka, the team had 57 percent possession and had more shots on goal than their opponents.
The team management would be hoping to utilise the services of Ljungberg on their home turf which could make a big difference.
It will be interesting to see what strategy coach Peter Reid adopts against a team that has shown that they can defend deep in their goalless draw against the Dynamos, with goalkeeper Emanuele Belardi pulling off some fine saves.
Reid had played an attacking formation in Calcutta despite being an away game and he is likely to adopt a similar aggressive approach in their first home encounter.
The team will, however, be without captain Syed Rahim Nabi, who injured his ankle in the opening game and has been ruled out for at least three weeks. This means that former German international Manuel Friedrich would have to shoulder the responsibility of guiding the Indian players and ensure that they play the perfect foil to the likes of new signing Andre Moritz.
With the style of play the team has adopted in the competition, the role of custodian Subrata Paul would once again be critical for the team. The first choice stopper of the Indian team for a few years now, Paul showed why he is considered the best in the country during the encounter against ATK.
Reid and were happy that Saturday's game will be played on natural grass after having opened the campaign on the artificial turf.
“With all due respect to Calcutta as a venue, we will be happy to play on natural grass. The pitch here is beautiful, the stadium is beautiful and our players will appreciate playing here in front of their home crowd,' said Reid at the pre-match media conference.
“We will be happy to play on the beautiful grass pitch here rather than on an artificial turf,' said German Friedrich.
Pune City, on the other hand, will be looking up to their marquee player, David Trezeguet, up front to crack open the Mumbai defence. The former French striker would in turn expect Nigerian Dudu Omagbeni and Joaquim Abranches — to function well and lay passes for him to take advantage of.
Pune City FC manager Franco Colomba said: “This is a very important game for us as we chase our first victory in the ISL. Although we managed a draw against Delhi Dynamos, there were a few areas of improvement that we identified and we have worked on them over the past two days.”
