Goa and Mumbai enter the match in week two of the Indian Football League 2020-21 to find their first victory. Ferrando’s side held Bangalore to a 2-2 draw in their campaign opener, while Islanders suffered a 1-0 defeat to North East in their opening game.
Match Timings: Nov 25, 7:30 PM IST
Team Preview
The reigning shield winner Goa will meet newly-formed Mumbai in Fatorda Stadium on Wednesday night. The hosts faced Bangalore in the season opener, and the match ended in a 2-2 draw. Goa avoided the defeat with Angulo’s brace after going two goals down in the first 57 minutes. Sergio Lobera will face his former club Goa for the first time, and Spaniard can break Goa’s defense with his tactics.
Juan Ferrando’s side had beaten last season’s runner-up Chennai by keeping a clean sheet. Hyderabad's defeat exposed their defense, and Bangalore tried to break this weak part, but it was Angulo who managed to add one point from the game. Edu Bedia and Lenny Rodrigues can boost Goa in midfield, following Seriton Fernandes at right-back.
Meanwhile, Mumbai started with a loss under the new manager. Kwesi Appiah’s penalty made all the difference in the game to deliver the City a 1-0 loss at Tilak Maidan. Lober’s side had better possessions. They create more passes than the North East, but they failed to find the equaliser. The Islanders will also be without the service of Jahouh, who acquired a red card in the last match.
Lobero would expect some spark from his attacking trio Fondre, Bart, and Hugo. He can stick to his 4-2-3-1 formation with two potent strikers Fondre and Ogbeche. Ogbeche was the joint top-scorer last season, and Fondre guided his A-League club to the title this year by scoring 20 goals.
Mumbai has the ability to add three points against the last season’s table-topper with better attack and quality defense. In pre-season friendly games, Lobero’s men won three matches out of four. They defeated Bengaluru, Chennai, and Hyderabad. Goa has the edge over Mumbai in head to head by winning seven games out of eleven. Lobero’s men conceded 33 goals and scored just 14, but the current scenario put Islanders on top. In 2019-20, Goa defeated Mumbai twice by scoring nine goals.
Possible Lineups & Current Form
Goa
Lineup: Nawaz, Donachie, Ivan Gonzalez, Sanson Pereira, Seriton, Lenny, Edu Bedia, Jorge Mendoza, Alexander Jesuraj, Brandon, Igor Angulo
Previous match: 2-2 draw with Bangalore
Mumbai
Lineup: Rakip, Sarthak, Fall, Mandar, Hernan, Borges, Boumous, Raynier, Le Fondre, Ogbeche
Previous match: 1-0 defeat to North East
Key Players
Goa
Brandon Fernandes
2 goals & 7 assists in Indian Football League 2019-20
Igor Angulo
12 goals in Ekstraklasa 2019-20
2 goals in Indian Football League 2020-21
Mumbai
Bartholomew Ogbeche
15 goals in Indian Football League 2019-20
Adam le Fondre
20 goals in A-League 2019-20
