Mumbai FC keen to maintain winning momentum against Royal Wahingdoh

Mumbai FC keen to maintain winning momentum against Royal Wahingdoh

Mumbai, February 19

Mumbai FC having finally struck it rich by scripting a convincing 3-0 win against a formidable Salgaocar SC, Goa in the previous round last week, are determined to carry the winning momentum into Friday’s clash with Royal Wahingdoh, Shillong, which is their the 6^th round Hero I-League match to be played under floodlights at the Cooperage ground.

Playwin is the official sponsor of Mumbai FC which is the lone challengers from the city in this national competition.

Mumbai FC who are presently in the 8^th position with 4 points from 5 games, will once again hope to bank on the home conditions and the support from their legion of fans to secure another win which would boost their points tally.

The cool and level-headed Mumbai FC coach Khalid Jamil has the belief in his players and is confident that they will produce an encore against the visitors from Meghalaya, who are currently in pole position with 13 points from four wins and a draw in six matches.

Jamil, who was unperturbed by the 3 straight defeats in the opening games, always had the confidence that the team would bounce back and the players have lived up to the expectation of the coach by producing an outstanding performance in the last game. They have to sustain that momentum against promoted outfit Wahingdoh, who have proved to be the team to beat.

“We played well and were organised in the last game. But they (Wahingdoh) are a strong team and we have to be more organised and more alert,” said Jamil during a media briefing on the eve of the match.

“Wahingdoh are a strong team and on top of the table. They also beat us in the Federation Cup last December so we have to ensure that our concentration levels are high. If we play well then automatically the results will be positive,” stated Jamil.

When told that Wahingdoh coach Santosh Kashyap had mentioned that his team was the favourites to win the match, Jamil was not prepared to think too much about it.

“I can’t tell who the favourite is. It will all depend on who does well and gets the best results,” he said.

Mumbai FC are likely to retain the same team which won against Salgaocar. However, coach Jamil mentioned that Climax Lawrence may return to starting XI and would take a decision after a training session later in the evening.

Jamil will once again rely on Brazilian Josimar in the company of Sampath Kuttimani and Jayesh Rane to deliver the fireworks upfront to put pressure on the visitors defence.

The Mumbai FC midfielders Cletus Paul and Japanese Taisuke Matsugae will have to come up with another sterling performance to create the openings for their men in front. Stoppers Chika Wali and Justine Stephen along with wing backs Ashutosh Mehta and Allan Dias will have a tough job to contain the young rival attackers and thwart them from causing much harm to their citadel.

Picture Caption 1&2: Mumbai FC players in a training session on the eve of their I-League match against Royal Wahingdoh, Shillong at the Cooperage On Friday