Highly-boosted Mumbai will continue its winning run with the clash against Jamshedpur in Indian Football League 2020-21. Sergio Lobero’s men have won its previous four matches, while the Red Miners were held to a goalless draw in the previous game against East Bengal.
Match Timings: Dec 14, 7:30 PM IST
Team Preview
2020-21 is the season where Mumbai can find the lost glory with its dominant lineup. Lobero’s side started the season with a 1-0 defeat to Northeast, and since then, they haven’t lost a single match. Mumbai takes the first spot in the table with 12 points, 2-points ahead of Northeast, and Mohun B. Lobero would try to maintain the winning run on Monday night when they meet Jamshedpur in matchweek five.
In the previous outing, they edged past last season’s runner-up, Chennai, 2-1 at GMC Stadium. Chennai had enough chances, but they somehow could not finish it well. Csaba Laszlo’s men started the game higher by creating early opportunities in the first half. Jakub Sylvestr started the scoring with a good pass from Lallianzuala Chhangte in the 40th minute. The Islanders didn’t wait for the equaliser as a Vishal Kaith mistake helped Hernan Santana get the name on the scoresheet before the halftime break.
Mumbai were lucky as Chennai were denied a penalty in the 70th minute. After five minutes, Fondre notched up a winner to add one more disappointment to Chennai and 4th consecutive win to Mumbai. We talk about Mumbai’s forward-line most but they retained the hopes in defense also as Lobero’s side conceded only two goals from five matches. Mandar Rao Dessai will not play against Jamshedpur due to personal reasons. Sergio Lobera can opt for the rotation after a super hectic schedule of the league.
Meanwhile, Jamshedpur have a slight edge over the Islanders in head-to-head matches, winning three and losing two. The last fixture between the two sides favoured Mumbai 2-1, courtesy of goals from Amine Chermiti and Bidyananda Singh. Jamshedpur’s campaign in 2020-21 is a roller-coaster ride but better than the previous season. After starting with a 2-1 defeat to Chennai, they haven’t lost a single game but appeared in three draws. Its only victory was recorded against Habas’ men, and it was a big upset. In a previous game, the Red Miners shared the spoils with East Bengal.
Eze and Lima hit the bar, but they failed to break East Bengal’s defense, led by Mohamed Irshad and Sehnaj Singh. Jamshedpur were unable to get three points against a side who played with 10 men for 65 minutes. The Red Miners will miss the services of Joyner Lourenco, Narender Gehlot, and Nick Fitzgerald due to top injury issues. Laldinliana Renthlei was sent off against East Bengal, so he will also miss this match.
Possible Lineups & Current Form
Mumbai
Amrinder Singh; Mehtab Singh, Sarthak Golui, Mourtada Fall, Vignesh Dakshinamurthy, Ahmed Jahouh, Rowllin Borges, Bipin Singh, Hugo Boumous, Cy Goddard, Adam le Fondre
Current form – W W W W L
Previous meeting – 2-1 victory against Chennai
Jamshedpur
Rehenesh TP; Karan Amin, Stephen Eze, Peter Hartley, Ricky Lallawmawma, Alex Lima, Aitor Monroy, Mobashir Rahman, Jackichand Singh, Nerijus Valskis, Issac Vanmalsawma
Current form – D W D D L
Previous meeting – Goalless draw against East Bengal
Key Players
Mumbai
Adam le Fondre
20 goals in A-League 2019-20
4 goals in Indian Football League 2020-21
Hugo Boumous
2 assists in Indian Football League 2020-21
Jamshedpur
Nerijus Valskis
15 goals & 6 assists in Indian Football League 2019-20
5 goals in Indian Football League 2020-21
Jackichand Singh
5 goals in Indian Football League 2019-20
