First vs fourth as Mumbai City FC travels to Kolkata to face ATK Mohun Bagan for an electrifying clash in the ISL this weekend.
The Green and Maroons ended 2022 on a positive note with a 2-1 win over FC Goa while the Islanders continued their scoring spree in the 4-0 thrashing of Kerala Blasters last Sunday.
ATKMB vs MCFC Match Details
Date: Saturday, 14 January 2023
Time: 19:30 (IST)
Venue: Salt Lake Stadium, Salt Lake
ATKMB vs MCFC Match Preview
Juan Ferrando’s team badly needed the 2-1 win over FC Goa or would have jeopardized their playoff spot after two games without a victory in the league. The 0-0 draw to Odisha FC and then a shocking loss to Northeast United left a sour taste so the game against the Gaurs was a must-win one. Dimitri Petratos gave the Kolkata club the lead inside nine minutes of the game but could not resist an equalizer from Rahim Ali in the first half. Playmaker Hugo Boumous rose to the occasion again with his fourth strike of the campaign shortly after the break to make sure ATK Mohun Bagan leaves with a victory this time out. Juan Ferrando’s side sits fourth on the table with 23 points gathered and a chance to overtake Kerala Blasters in third who are two points better than them. ATK Mohun Bagan returns to Salt Lake stadium where they have won their last five battles in the league. The 2-1 loss to Chennaiyin FC in their season opener remains the sole home loss so far. However, the competition gets stiffer as unbeaten leaders Mumbai City FC visits the city. The Islanders have been a tough nut to crack in this encounter but did draw the reverse fixture 2-2 in November last year. The Green and Maroons will be drawing inspiration from that performance to break the opposition’s winning run in maintaining their excellent home form.
Mumbai City FC’s goal-rampaging continued with a huge 4-0 victory over Kerala Blasters with Jorge Pereyra scoring the double alongside strikes from Greg Stewart and Bipin Singh. The trio with Lallianzuala Chhnagte have combined for a ferocious and unmatched strike force in the league helping the Islanders score a staggering 40 goals in just 13 games. A perfect way also to reward manager Des Buckingham who signed a new contract with the club until 2025. Moreover, Hyderabad FC drawing against Chennaiyin FC keeps them at the top of the table with a chance to go four points clear off the Nizams. The win extended Mumbai’s fantastic winning run to eight games and they hardly look like a team pulling the breaks anytime soon. The Islanders did dropped points against ATK Mohun Bagan earlier in the campaign, one of the three sides to have done so, but is yet to lose this meeting since the side from Kolkata came into ISL. However, Des Buckingham’s side have not won the previous two games in the league against the Green and Maroons by managing only draws. Their other encounter at the Salt Lake Stadium for the Durand Cup also ended in a stalemate. But Mumbai City FC are a different beast this season and are willing to lay down another marker of their hunt for the Winner’s Shield this weekend.
Recent Form
ATKMB: WLDW
MCFC: WWWWW
ATKMB vs MCFC Team News
ATK Mohun Bagan head coach Juan Ferrando could give debuts to two of his new midfield recruits in the January transfer window. Puitea, signed from Kerala Blasters could come in place of the departed Pronay Halder while Federico Gallego can slot in alongside him on his return to India. Another newly bought, Montenegrin centre-back Slavko Damjanovic could replace Brendan Hamill. Incidentally, his last ISL game was against the Green and Maroons last year with Chennaiyin FC.
Meanwhile, Mumbai City FC are forced to make a change in their winning team with striker Jorge Pereyra suspended for a game due to the accumulation of yellow cards. As a result, Greg Stewart could slot in the number nine role with Alberto Noguera coming into the midfield three.
ATKMB vs MCFC Predicted Lineups
ATKMB: Vishal Kaith; Pritam Kotal, Slavko Damjanovic, Subhasish Bose; Asish Rai, Puitea, Federico Gallego, Ashique Kuruniyan; Liston Colaco, Dimitri Petratos, Hugo Boumous
MCFC: Phurba Lachenpa; Rahul Bheke, Mehtab Singh, Rostyn Griffiths, Vignesh Dakshinamurthy; Ahmed Jahouh, Apuia Ralte; Lallianzuala Chhangte, Alberto Noguera, Bipin Singh; Greg Stewart.
ATKMB vs MCFC Dream11 Team Prediction
GK: Lachenpa (7.5)
DEF: Rai (8.5), Bheke (8), Griffiths (8.5), Bose (9)
MID: Chhangte (8.5), Jahouh (9), Boumous (9), Bipin (9)
FW: Petratos (9), Stewart (9)
Vice-captain: Bipin Singh
Captain: Greg Stewart
Stay tuned to Fantasy Football for upcoming matches.
