A mammoth clash will unfold at Fatorda Stadium as table toppers ATK Mohun Bagan lock horns with defending champions Mumbai City FC at Fatorda. Both of them went neck to neck for the two major honors- The League Winner's Shield and the ISL title last season with MCFC having the last laugh for both the prizes at the end.
ATKMB vs MCFC Match Details :
When: Wednesday, 1 December
Time: 19:30 (IST)
Where: Fatorda Stadium
ATKMB vs MCFC Match Preview :
Habas's men couldn't have started the 2021-22 season of the ISL any better with two wins out of two and leading the chart considering the impressive recruitment they had last summer. It included snapping of two big names from MCFC that helped them in the title hunt last season, the goalkeeper Amrinder Singh and the architect Hugo Boumous. After beating Kerala Blasters in the first game, ATKMB dismantled SC East Bengal in the Kolkata Derby 3-0 through goals from Roy Krishna, Manvir Singh and Liston Colaco. All of them were scored in the first half itself. Although Bagan still don't enjoy much possession, they have moved away from their content nature and have turned into a real attacking force this campaign. The frontline including Boumous has notched up seven goals in just two games. Already a solid defense at their disposal, the Mariners are now looking forward to dethrone the holders this time out by making a statement on Wednesday.
Whether the transfer of two big personnel from the winning team and change of staff in the dressing room caused a rift is too early to say. It certainly didn't matter for MCFC in their first game but then the defeat to Hyderabad in the next match threw many questions. Credit goes to Manolo Marquez's team for coping well with Mumbai's pressure but they had to blame themselves for two of the three goals conceded in the 3-1 defeat. When Jahouh scored inside six minutes it looked to be smooth saling for the Islanders but Bipin conceded a penalty leading to Joao Victor's leveler before Ogbeche and later Rohit Danu struck in the second half to confirm defeat for them. Des Buckingham needs to regroup his side now against a much tougher opposition and the nearest challenger for the title but said the holders don't need extra motivation to turn around from that disappointment.
Recent Form :
ATKMB: WW
MCFC: WL
ATKMB vs MCFC Team News :
ATKMB have a major boost in the sector of defense with Tiri joining the training. The 30-year-old missed out on the first two games of the season with his injury and also didn't participate in the team's AFC Cup campaign a few months back. So his return is a welcoming one and it is left to see whether coach Antonio Habas puts him in the defense from the start or not. Deepak Tangri picked up a knock against SC East Bengal but he is fine. Other than that, the team shouldn't change from the derby win.
Coach Des Buckingham has provided important updates about injury absentees. Mandar Rao Dessai has finally joined the group and is available for selection after missing out on the last two games through a slight injury. Rowlin Borges appeared from the bench and had a golden opportunity to level up things but got the required minutes after he had his injury problems during the preseason. He is in contention for the big game on Wednesday. Everyone else is fresh and raring to go with the obvious exception of left-back Vignesh, who is out for four weeks.
ATKMB vs MCFC Expected Lineups :
ATKMB: Amrinder Singh; Pritam Kotal, Carl McHugh, Subhasish Bose, Manvir Singh, Deepak Tangri, Lenny Rodrigues, Liston Colaco, Joni Kauko, Hugo Boumous, Roy Krishna.
MCFC: Mohammad Nawaz; Amey Ranawade, Rahul Bheke, Mourtada Fall, Mandar Rao Dessai, Lalengmawia, Ahmed Jahouh, Raynier Fernandes, Ygor Catatau, Bipin Singh, Igor Angulo.
ATKMB vs MCFC Head to Head :
As mentioned earlier, these two forced the title chase till the last league game of the season with Mumbai gaining the upper hand through Fall and Ogbeche, at the club that time and also scoring the only goal in the other fixture, sealing the Shield win. ATKMB tried their best to resist the Islanders in the ISL final but failed there too with Bipin Singh scoring the winner in a 2-1 triumph very late in the game following a howler from goalkeeper Arindam.
ATKMB vs MCFC Dream11 Team Prediction :
GK: Amrinder (ATKMB)
DEF: Pritam (ATKMB), Fall (MCFC), Bheke (MCFC), Subhasish (ATKMB)
MID: Manvir (ATKMB), Boumous (ATKMB), Jahouh (MCFC), Colaco (ATKMB)
FW: Angulo (MCFC), Krishna (ATKMB)
Match Prediction: ATKMB 2-1 MCFC
It is hard to predict the scoreline of an early title-challenging fixture with either side reluctant to lose any grounds from here. The game will be a tight one but the Mariners are expected to seek their revenge for the heartbreaking defeats against Islanders last season.
Stay tuned to the Fantasy Football section for upcoming match updates.
