Mumbai out to clip Goa’s wings to the top

GOA: FC Goa heads into the fixture on the back of three successive wins. A recent change in coaching staff including head coach with Clifford Miranda replacing Sergio Lobera, has not made a negative impact on its on-field performance, as seen in its last game, a convincing 4-1 thrashing of Hyderabad FC.

With 33 points in its kitty, Goa has four more points than third-placed Bengaluru FC but is level with ATK which currently occupies the top spot owing to a superior goal difference. Given Goa’s head-to-head disadvantage against ATK, Goa cannot afford to drop any more points in its final two games of the league stage.

“Two teams with two different motivations to play. It will be an intense match. There will be no margin for error. It will be a difficult game for both teams,” FC Goa interim coach Clifford Miranda said.

Miranda said the focus is to win two games and see how the others fare. “We have to win two games. Then we will see what happens. Our focus is on winning. I think the team which is best positioned to finish on top is ATK. So, the pressure is on them and not on us,” said Miranda. Mumbai is unbeaten in its last four matches and its most recent outing was a 2-1 win against Jamshedpur FC. A strong second-half display which had Amine Chermiti and Bidyananda Singh among the goals, will have given the team confidence to take on Goa away from home. Mumbai has a difficult end to the season with a clash against top-four rival Chennaiyin FC coming up and a win against Goa is imperative. Mumbai is currently fourth on the table with 26 points but Chennaiyin, which is on 22 points, has a game in hand.

“It will be an open game. They don’t know how to play defensive football. Especially, because of the quality they have. They will be fighting to finish first. We will play for a top-four spot. Both of us have pressure to deliver. I hope the fans will enjoy the game and we get the three points,” said Mumbai boss Jorge Costa.

Mumbai lost one of its key players Paulo Machado to injury and has not found joy in the final third this season, with new signing Amine Chermiti scoring six goals and last season’s top scorer Modou Sougou netting three. Its defence has not been great either, which leaves it vulnerable to Goa’s movement and precision in the final third.