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Mumbai City FC will play host to East Bengal FC at the Mumbai Football Arena in the Indian Super League (ISL) 2024-25 on Friday.
After securing a 3-0 triumph against Mohammedan SC last week, they will aim to extend that stretch and stay amongst the playoff spots. They are currently placed sixth with 27 points on the back of seven victories and six draws, an ISL press release stated. The Petr Kratky-coached side has a chance to do a league double for the second time over the Red & Gold Brigade, having won the reverse fixture by 3-2 previously. However, Mumbai City FC haven't beaten them at home in the competition, even being unable to find the back of the net in both of their previous encounters against the Kolkata-based side in this stadium, losing and drawing once each. East Bengal FC, however, have struggled to find their feet on the road this season. They have won just once in their last eight away games, drawing once and losing six times. Their last two away matches have given them 0-1 results against them. However, East Bengal FC's last game saw them bag a 2-1 win against Kerala Blasters FC, as they snapped their two-game goal drought. Currently, the Red & Gold Brigade are at the 11th spot in the points table. They have won and drawn once in their previous five matches, losing thrice, and have 17 points from as many games. Trailing the sixth-placed Islanders by 10 points, this is their chance to cut the gap in a direct contest and then hope to produce a winning run to make a late surge for the playoffs. Whether they succeed in doing so is something that remains to be seen, but they will take confidence from Mumbai City FC's recent 0-3 home losses to NorthEast United FC and Jamshedpur FC. Defensively, Mumbai City FC have allowed the fewest touches (274) in their penalty area and conceded the least shots from inside the box (106). The team has kept six clean sheets and given away 22 goals in ISL 2024-25. However, the Islanders have not consistently been at the top of their game upfront. They scored the fourth-least goals in the ISL, netting 22 times, as Nikolaos Karelis leads the charts for them with nine strikes followed by Lallianzuala Chhangte with two goals. After scoring eight goals and registering three assists last season, EBFC's Cleiton Silva has failed to find the back of the net even once in the current campaign. He has made 41 touches inside the opposition's box and taken eight shots on target but has not converted any of them, which has played a part in the team's issues in the final third, as they are the third-least scoring team (17) in the league in 2024-25. Mumbai City FC head coach Petr Kratky said that he believes that the team is getting better with every game. "We feel that we are getting stronger and better, which is very important for me as a coach. I am very happy with where we are and how we're doing," he said as quoted from ISL. East Bengal FC head coach Oscar Bruzon touched upon the unpredictability of every game in the ISL. "One of the good things about the ISL is that every game is very tight. All lineups are very balanced. You can never predict which team is going to win which match," he said. The two teams have faced each other off nine times in the ISL. Mumbai City FC have won six games, whereas East Bengal FC have emerged victorious twice. One game has produced a draw. (ANI)
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