Topper Mumbai City hopes to consolidate lead

Sergio Lobera-managed Mumbai City has 30 points from 13 fixtures, six more than second-placed ATK Mohun Bagan (ATKMB). NorthEast, currently led by interim coach Khalid Jamil, has 18 points from 13 matches and is fifth on the ISL table.

MCFC, which collected five points from its last three games, would hope to dish out a dominating performance against NEUFC, the only team to defeat the league leader this season. In the first meeting between the two clubs in November 2020, 10-man Mumbai City suffered a 0-1 loss at the Tilak Maidan in Goa.

However, MCFC head coach Lobera is unconcerned. “I am not worried about what happened in the past. NorthEast has improved a lot in the last two games. It is playing good football. The team is comfortable with the ball and keeps possession,” said Lobera during the virtual pre-match press conference on Friday.

“For us, it is going to be a different game. Since the last meeting, both sides have improved. It is not easy to play against NorthEast. We have to give our 100 per cent if we want to win the game,” added Mumbai City boss Lobera.

NEUFC is on a two-match winning run under Jamil, but is aware of the threat that MCFC possesses in its squad. “Mumbai City is a good team. However, we must believe that we can beat it. We have to be disciplined in both attack and defence. We have to stay confident and dictate the play,” said NorthEast assistant coach Alison Kharsyntiew.