ISL: Mumbai City FC hopeful of fixing defensive woes against FC Pune City

Mumbai, November 28: Mumbai City FC captain Lucian Goian is confident of his defence holding firm in the upcoming matches of the Indian Super League.

Goian, the key man in the Islanders' back four that has had mixed fortunes in the two games played so far, is hopeful the defence will stand strong against FC Pune City in their ISL game on Wednesday (November 29).

In the opener against Bangalore FC, Mumbai City lost after conceding two goals. But they bounced back at home, registering a 2-1 win over FC Goa last week.

#TheIslanders will look to repeat their performance as they prepare for a fiesty encounter against @FCPuneCity.#PUNMUM #MaharashtraDerby #MadeInMumbai #LetsFootball pic.twitter.com/TzPvWRn3zq

— Mumbai City FC (@MumbaiCityFC) November 28, 2017

Their third opponent FC Pune City, whom they face at the Shiv Chhatrapati Sports Complex in Balewadi on Wednesday, have a similar track record. Pune lost their first match to Delhi Dynamos 2-3, before recording a thumping 4-1 victory against ATK.

Worrying for Mumbai City is the return of form of Marcelinho, the Pune City striker who has booted two goals so far in the ISL. The 30-year-old Brazilian, who was last season's Golden Boot winner, alongwith Uruguayan Emiliano Alfaro and the nimble-footed Kean Lewis, are a formidable force upfront. But Goian remains unfazed and is confident of Mumbai denying them in the Maharashtra Derby.

"I know that he (Marcelinho) and Alfaro are good players," Goian said. "It won't be easy. But like I'd said in Bangalore too, we don't like making plans for specific players. We're playing against 11 players and our plan is to stop all 11 of them. We've seen most of these players play last season too and we're sure we can use that to our advantage," the 34-year-old added.

There's something about @Amrinder_1 making breathtaking saves against @FCGoaOfficial. 👐🏻🔵 #MUMGOA #MadeInMumbai pic.twitter.com/927MnwtJmA

— Mumbai City FC (@MumbaiCityFC) November 27, 2017

Goian, who is second in the tackles list with 18, behind FC Goa's Moroccan Ahmed Jahouh's 21, admits every Mumbai defender will have to come good like they did in the against Goa.

"You have to understand that when a team defends, it's 11 players who defend. It starts from the strikers through the midfield and then at the back. In Bengaluru, we had a bad game and we didn't play like the way we can. But we managed to rectify that against FC Goa and I believe we can be the same strong defensive unit as we were last season," he added.

The encounter is also expected to throw up key battles especially on the wings as Raju Gaikwad and Gerson Viera try to stop the Pune City wingers from putting in the dangerous balls for their forward line, while new recruit Marcio Rozario along with Goian will look to deny Marcelinho & Co any breathing space in front of the goal.

The Stallions had five shots on target versus ATK and scored four times - clinical.#KOLPUN #BleedOrange #RakhtKesari pic.twitter.com/ATHOLDTKkB

— FC Pune City (@FCPuneCity) November 27, 2017

Another key battle will be in the centre of the midfield between FC Pune City's Marcos Tebar, who will be looking to dictate the pace, and the vastly experienced Achille Emana, a former FC Toulouse player, who can breakdown rival defences with his measured passes.

"Emana is the perfect number 10," insists Goian. "He loves to be on the ball and he can make all the difference with his ability to pass. He's immensely experienced and we're sure he can be a key cog in the wheel," he added.

Abhinas Ruidas is the dark horse in this battle. Having earned two 'Emerging Player of the match' awards, he will be aiming to convert these honours into goals.

Another key player for the Islanders is last year's Golden Glove winner Amrinder Singh as he will be looking to extend his dominant performance under the bar.

Goian promises a good display at Balewadi for his fans. "For the fans, it's a special game and we know it. I hope they turn up and support us in Pune in large numbers. Last season, they pushed us to do our best till the end. Even against FC Goa last weekend, they carried us in the final minutes and gave us that fighting spirit and we're happy that we could give them a result to be proud of," Goian said.

FC Pune City vs Mumbai City FC

Indian Super League match

8 pm onwards

Live from Shiv Chhatrapati Sports Complex, Balewadi

on Star Network and Hotstar

Stat facts

Head to Head

Played 6, Pune City won 3, Mumbai City won 2, Draw 1

TRACK THE ISLANDERS

2 - Emerging player of the match awards for Abhinas Ruidas, highest in ISL-4 so far

9 - Saves by Amrinder Singh, the most by any goalkeeper in this edition of ISL

18 - Tackles by Lucian Goian, the second best, after FC Goa's Moroccan midfielder Ahmed Jahouh who tops the list with 21.

Source: Press release