Mumbai City FC vs FC Goa lineups, team news, prediction and preview

Mumbai City FC will take on FC Goa in the first match of week 22 in ISL

Mumbai City FC will lock horns against FC Goa on Wednesday evening at the Mumbai Football Arena in the Indian Super League. Both teams are in the race to book their spot in the top six but the Gaurs are looking to put pressure on the Mariners for the Shield Race. Both teams have quality players on their side and whenever they face each other the fans have always enjoyed it. Even though they are not rivals this fixture always has some points of discussion and surely this time also we can expect an exciting fixture between these two sides.

The Stakes

Mumbai City FC

The Islanders will be very confident going into this fixture as they broke the unbeaten streak of Northeast United FC of eight games and won their previous fixture by 0-2. Even though they did struggle in the game they somehow got a good result and will look to perform much better against the Gaurs at home. The Islanders do have a good record against the Gaurs but this season Marquez’s men have been much better than them. Kratky men will look to finish as high as possible in the points table. This fixture will surely test them and they will have to be at their best and they can’t afford to drop points.

FC Goa

The Gaurs are in great form and still in the Shield race, but they will have to win every match to keep their hope alive and hope that the Kolkata-based team drop points. They do have the quality to beat the Islanders, but it will surely not be easy for them. They do have one game in hand and are 10 points behind the Mariners, not only in points they will also have to improve their goal difference in the upcoming fixtures. Goa’s attack has been one of the best in the league and surely they will test the home team’s defence. A lot of work needs to be done and surely they have the quality to get a positive result away from home. If they drop points then their chance of getting the shield will be almost gone.

Injury and Team News

Akash Mishra is still recovering from his ACL injury, the rest of the players are fit to play for the Islanders. On the other hand, the Gaurs will have a fully fit squad for the upcoming fixture.

Head-to-Head

Games Played: 27

Mumbai City FC: 12

FC Goa: 7

Draws: 8

Predicted Lineups

Mumbai City FC (4-2-3-1):

Phurba Lachenpa (GK); Hmingthanmawia Ralte, Mehtab Singh, Tiri, Nathan Rodrigues, Yoell van Nieff, Jayesh Rane, Jon Toral, Lallianzuala Chhangte, Bipin Singh, Jorge Ortiz

FC Goa (4-2-3-1):

Hrithik Tiwari (GK), Aakash Sangwan, Sandesh Jhingan (C), Odei Onaindia, Boris Singh, Borja Herrera, Sahil Tavora, Brison Fernandes, Mohammad Yasir, Iker Guarrotxena, Armando Sadiku

Players to Watch

Jon Toral (Mumbai City FC )

Toral did miss the first half of the season due to injury but now he is a regular starter for the Islanders. He is a typical Spanish midfielder who is known for his passing abilities, he can find spaces and exploit them very well. Slowly and steadily he has adapted to his new team and now is a fan favourite.

Even though he had a lot of expectations when he was signed he is slowly proving to be the best player for the Islanders. He is someone who can solve the goalscoring issue of the Islanders. Toral’s ability to beat opposition players with his trickery makes him special. He will surely test FC Goa’s defence for sure.

Borja Herrera (FC Goa)

The Spaniard is probably the most hardworking player in the FC Goa squad. Borja does his offensive and defensive duties very well and will be a big headache for the home side. Manolo Marquez knows how much important Borja is for the Gaurs and even if he plays as a substitute he is someone who can make a difference and get his team good results.

With his set-pice deliveries and pinpoint passing he can help his teammates to score goals and he himself is good enough to score goals. Borja likes to take a lot of shots especially from outside the box. The Islanders will have to do their defensive job very well to make things difficult for the Spaniard.

Did you know?

• FC Goa’s last away win against Mumbai City was in 2019.
• The winner of their last meeting was Mumbai City FC
• The average number of goals in meetings between Mumbai City and FC Goa is 2.4

Telecast

The Mumbai City FC vs FC Goa match will be played at the Mumbai Football Arena on Wednesday (12th February 2025). The game will kick off at 07:30 PM IST.

The match will be shown live on the Sports 18 network and Star Sports 3. It will also be streamed online on Jio Cinema. International viewers can also watch the game on One Football App.

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