ISL 2023-24: East Bengal vs Mumbai City: Preview, Predicted lineup, injury news, H2H, telecast details

Both East Bengal and Mumbai City will aim to get back to winning ways in the ISL.

East Bengal will hope to get back to winning ways in the Indian Super League (ISL) when they host Mumbai City at the Salt Lake Stadium, Kolkata on Tuesday (February 13). The Red & Gold Brigade have not won an ISL game since early December and will hope to change that against a shaken Mumbai side – who are coming off a bitter loss to Jamshedpur FC.

The Stakes

East Bengal

Carles Cuadrat’s side enjoyed a prolific 2024 Kalinga Super Cup campaign and won the trophy to end their 12-year national trophy drought. But their form in the ISL 2023-24 has been disappointing so far. The good thing is that due to the sheer competitiveness for a top-six spot this season, East Bengal are still strongly in the running for a playoff spot.

But they need to start winning to creep into the top-six. A win against the defending ISL Shield winners can be a huge confidence booster for the Red & Gold Brigade. But if they end up suffering another loss or playing out another draw, frustrations could creep in and also result in them falling behind in the race.

Mumbai City FC

Mumbai City are definitely not in a healthy position in the ISL Shield title race, but they aren’t exactly down and out of it either. The Islanders are quite far away from the top-two, but a string of wins can help them get back into the race.

Mumbai were left frustrated by East Bengal in their previous ISL clash and will aim for revenge at the latter’s home turf. The Islanders might be encouraged by what they saw in East Bengal’s last game, but have to fix their own defensive issues to fetch a positive result. Another loss or even a draw can effectively end whatever chances Mumbai have in staying alive for the ISL Shield race, but a win can at least help them regain momentum and confidence.

Injury and Team News

East Bengal are going to miss their captain Cleiton Silva for this game after he picked up his fourth yellow card of the 2023-24 ISL season against NorthEast United. Harmanjot Khabra and Saul Crespo are recovering from injuries and are out of this clash. Pardo is also injured after the loss to NorthEast United.

For the Islanders, Jorge Pereyra Diaz is suspended after getting sent off in the Super Cup semi-final against Odisha FC last month.

Head-to-Head

Matches Played – 7

East Bengal wins – 1

Mumbai City wins – 4

Draws – 2

Predicted Lineups

East Bengal (4-2-3-1)

Prabhsukhan Gill (GK), Mohamad Rakip, Lalchungnunga, Hijazi Maher, Mandar Rao Dessai, Ajay Chhetri, Souvik Chakrabarti, Naorem Mahesh Singh, Victor Vazquez, Nandhakumar Sekar, Felicio Brown Forbes

Mumbai City FC (4-1-4-1)

Phurba Lachenpa (GK), Rahul Bheke, Tiri, Thaer Krouma, Sanjeev Stalin, Apuia, Alberto Noguera, Iker Guarrotxena, Lallianzuala Chhangte, Bipin Singh, Ayush Chhikara

Players to Watch

Felicio Brown Forbes (East Bengal)

Felicio had quite an eventful East Bengal debut, coming on to score a slick goal for the Red & Gold Brigade in the losing effort against NorthEast United. In his second-half cameo, he looked sharp – being able to bully defenders with his physicality and showing nice awareness in linking up with his teammates.

Brown comes with a lot of experience and will aim to prove his quality against one of the best teams in the ISL. The 32-year-old boasts an impressive ability to beat his marker with smart movement and is quite adept at finishing from different situations. He will aim to deputize for Cleiton Silva and finish off whatever chances he gets against the Islanders.

Iker Guarrotxena (Mumbai City)

Guarrotxena should be ready to make his full debut for Mumbai City against Esat Bengal and hopes to add that special spark into their midfield and final third areas. The 31-year-old has plenty of ISL experience and is quite the prolific goal-scoring midfielder, having netted quite a few during his stay at FC Goa.

The Spaniard loves to make clever late runs into the box to get into goal-scoring situations and often tests the goalkeeper with rapid shots. He’ll look to control the midfield by carrying the ball forward efficiently for Mumbai City and expose the defensive vulnerabilities of East Bengal with his smart movement to get himself into goal-scoring situations.

Did you know?

• East Bengal are on a five-game winless run in the ISL, having been unable to win a match since the 5-0 battering of NorthEast United on 4 December.
• Mumbai City have the second-best defensive record in the ISL, having only conceded 12 goals in as many games so far.
• East Bengal are one of the three sides to have kept a clean-sheet against Mumbai City in the ISL this season.

Telecast

The East Bengal vs Mumbai City game kicks off at 7:30 PM IST, at the Salt Lake Stadium, Kolkata on February 13, 2024. Live telecast of the fixture will be available on Sports18 Network (Sports18 1/VH1 Channel). Live streaming of the game will be available on the JioCinema app. Viewers from abroad can use OneFootball to stream the game.

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