The two-time ISL champions Chennaiyin FC will be locking horns against the table toppers, Mumbai City FC on Monday, 25th January 2021 at the GMC Bambolim Stadium, Goa. It will be a battle between the Top goal-scoring team (MCFC) who had scored 18 goals in 12 Matches versus the Least Goal scoring team (CFC) who just managed to score 10 times in the league.
Currently, the Islanders are unstoppable in the league. They hold an unassailable eleven match undefeated streak and are aiming for next year’s AFC Champions League Group stage spot. Meanwhile, the Marina Machans are struggling with a poor form having just won three out of their 13 Matches. Now, they will look to change their fortunes and stay in the playoff race.
Mumbai will be boosted by the arrival of Prolific Indian Midfielder Jackichand Singh who recently jump shipped from Jamshedpur FC. Mandar Rao Desai collected his 4th yellow card of the season against SC East Bengal and will be suspended for this game.
3 Indian Players to Watch Out in this Game
Rowlin Borges (MCFC), Lallianzuala Chhangte (CFC) and Bipin Singh (MCFC) are the three Indian Players to look out for in this match.
Borges is currently in a sublime form and has been one of the main reasons for the team’s success. His timely tackles, crucial interceptions and accurate passes could prove as a vital asset in this match. Along with him, his teammate Bipin Singh has performed exceptionally well under Lobera and already has a goal and three assists to his name in this season. Due to the absence of Mandar, we can expect Bipin and Vignesh to initiate the attack from the left flank.
From the Chennaiyin camp, Chhangte is another young Indian prospect to look out in this match. He hasn’t scored much this season but has impressed us with his incredible work rate. Chhangte will be a constant threat for the Mumbai defenders.
3 Foreign Players to Watch Out in this Game
Hugo Boumous (MCFC), Enes Sipovic (CFC) and Ahmed Jahouh (MCFC) are the three Overseas Players to look out for in this match.
Boumous has already proved his worth in India and was awarded as the Hero of the season in 2019-20. He has 6 assists and a goal to his name in the ongoing season and has combined well with Jahouh in the Midfield. They are the main reason for Mumbai’s Dominance in the attack. Either of them will be a trump card of Lobera in this match.
Sipovic is the important pillar of the Chennaiyin defence and has been rock solid in this season. He has the credibility to stop the Mumbai attack and could prove as a menace for Lobera’s army.
Injuries
Since the start of the ISL 2020-21 Season, the Marina Machans have been hit by a string of injuries. Their Star Midfielder Rafael Crivellaro was ruled out of the season and the Indian sensation Anirudh Thapa has been a victim throughout the season. Thapa is still not 100% fit and has not recovered from the injury that he sustained against East Bengal. He is expected to miss this match as well.
There are no injury concerns in the Mumbai City Squad
The Expected Line Up of Chennaiyin FC
Formation: 4-2-3-1
Vishal Kaith (GK), Jerry Lalrinzuala (LB), Eli Sabia (CB), Enes Sipovic (CB), Reagan Singh (RB), Memo Moura (DM), Germanpreet Singh (DM), Lallianzuala Chhangte (LW), Esmael Goncalves (AM), Fatkhullo Fathulloev (RW), Rahim Ali (ST)
Substitutes:
Karanjit Singh (GK), Abhijit Sarkar, Anirudh Thapa, Lalchhuanmawia, Dhanpal Ganesh, Deepak Tangri, Jakub Sylvestr, Edwin Sydney Vanspaul, Thoi Singh.
The Expected Line Up of Mumbai City FC
Formation: 4-2-3-1
Amrinder Singh (GK), Vignesh Dakshinamurthy (LB), Mourtada Fall (CB), Hernan Santana (CB), Amey Ranawade (RB), Rowlin Borges (DM), Ahmed Jahouh (DM), Bipin Singh (LW), Hugo Boumous (AM), Jackichand Singh (RW), Adam Le Fondre (ST)
Substitutes:
Phurba Lachenpa (GK), Vikram Pratap Singh, Raynier Fernandes, Sarthak Golui, CY Goddard, Bidyananda Singh, Bartholomew Ogbeche, Mohamad Rakip, Tondonba Singh.
Head to Head:
Played – 13 Matches
CFC – 6 Victories
MCFC – 5 Victories
Draws – 2 Matches
Recent Fixture – MCFC (Won) 2 – 1 CFC (December 09, 2020)
Predictions:
Chennai gave a lot of trouble for the Islanders in the previous encounter and they will try to replicate the same performance to yield a better outcome. The CFC – MCFC battle has always produced results in the past. So, we can expect a winner in this match. Considering the form of Mumbai City, we predict them to win this match and go past the Chennaiyin hurdle.
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