Hopeful SC East Bengal wants to take advantage of Mumbai City FC's late downfall to achieve their first three points of the 2021/22 ISL season. It is a battle between the league leaders and the dwellers at the bottom of the table.
SCEB vs MCFC Match Details :
When: Friday, January 7
Time: 19:30 (IST)
Where: Tilak Maidan
SCEB vs MCFC Match Preview :
A win still eludes SC East Bengal this season although interim boss Renedy Singh almost guided the team to three points only for an own goal to shatter their dreams in the 1-1 draw against Bengaluru FC after Haokip scored the opener. Till the time Mario Rivera joins the dugout, the former Indian International may have done a tremendous job in uplifting the team desperate for motivation. It is hard to find the right balance for the Red and Gold Brigade when the players are suffering at both ends of the pitch still in this time of the season. The transfer window will be vital for the side to shuffle up the squad to bring in the right kind of signings fit for the new manager to implement his ideology. The likes of Daniel Chima, Raju Gaikward etc have failed to hit their required form to help the team get the results on the line. SC East Bengal have also not gained much from the fixture calendar as they face Mumbai City FC two days after drawing with the Blues. They can only rely on the positivity of the last two games to draw something out of the champions.
Coach Des Buckingham blamed the individual mistakes of Mumbai City FC rather than collective ones in the last three games where they drew once and lost the others. In that period, the Islanders scored five but conceded ten in a very un-Mumbai-like fashion this season. In another surprising way, Mumbai City FC went down 4-2 against a struggling Odisha FC side in a miserable start to the new year. The Juggernauts took the lead within 4 minutes through Ariday Cabrera before Ahmed Jahouh and Igor Angulo with his eighth of the campaign switched the dial towards the champions. However a late man of the match show from Jerry Mawhmingthanga, first a quick brace and then setting up Jonathas for the last-minute goal, gave all three points to Odisha. Mourtada Fall looked off the pace and Mohammed Nawaz also cast a shaky figure in gloves with their errors letting the team down. The sigh of relief for Mumbai in this period that the attack remains clinical providing them the power to turn back in coming games.
Recent Form :
SC East Bengal: LDLDD
Mumbai City FC: WWLDL
SCEB vs MCFC Team News :
SC East Bengal will miss out on Tomislav Mrcela for at least three weeks with a muscle injury. The defender was withdrawn in the second half of the draw against Bengaluru FC and interim boss Renedy Singh announced his unavailability. Antonio Peresovic is still serving his five-match ban.
Mumbai City FC have acquired the services of talented midfielder Vinit Rai on loan for Odisha FC in this January transfer window. Coach Des Buckingham has claimed the 24 fits the profile of the team and adds the option to the already star-laden midfield. But he won't start the game at least. The coach also said that the withdrawal of Vignesh from the last game is not another injury but a precaution on the player's welfare after the left-back had a long spell out with his ankle injury. There are no other concerns in the squad.
SCEB vs MCFC Expected Lineups :
SC East Bengal: Arindam Bhattacharya; Joyner Lourenco, Adil Khan, Franko Prce, Hira Mondal, Sourav Das, Wahengbam Luwang, Amir Dervisevic,
Thongkhoseim Haokip, Lalrinliana Hnamte, Daniel Chima
Mumbai City FC: Mohammad Nawaz; Amey Ranawade, Mourtada Fall, Rahul Bheke, Mandar Rao Dessai, Apuia, Ahmed Jahouh, Raynier Fernandes, Cassio Gabriel, Bipin Singh, Igor Angulo
SCEB vs MCFC Head to Head :
SC East Bengal lost the first two meetings against Mumbai City in the ISL last season. They also failed to score as the Islanders cruised past in the first game with a 3-0 and settling for a 1-0 victory in the next one. Overall, Mumbai City FC is unbeaten against a side hailing from Kolkata in the last 10 games which include six successive wins.
SCEB vs MCFC Dream11 Team Prediction :
GK: M.Nawaz (MCFC)
DEF: Ranawade (MCFC), Adil Khan (SCEB), Bheke (MCFC), H. Mondal (SCEB)
MID: Cassio (MCFC), Jahouh (MCFC), Dervisevic (SCEB)
FW: Haokip (SCEB), Angulo (MCFC), Bipin (MCFC)
