Petr Kratky highlights Mumbai City FC's fighting spirit ahead of Hyderabad FC game

Mumbai City FC have a golden opportunity to extend their gap from teams outside the top-six spots.

Indian Super League (ISL) club Mumbai City FC head coach Petr Kratky has called for full concentration ahead of their matchweek 23 encounter against Hyderabad FC. The Islanders currently hold the final spot within the coveted top-six spots ahead of a challenging run of fixtures.

With a two-point advantage and a game in hand, the defending ISL champions will be keen to ensure playoff qualification as soon as possible. Ahead of the game on Wednesday, the 44-year-old Czech manager shared his thoughts about the upcoming opponent and their playoff aspirations this season.

Petr Kratky warns Mumbai City FC about fearless Hyderabad

The Czech manager made it clear that his side will be looking at this upcoming game as a must-win game. He highlighted the dangers that the Nawabs present, while warning his players to be prepared and ready for the challenge.

While talking about the upcoming game, Kratky stated, “Our expectations are that it will be a very quality and high tempo game. They will want to beat us, like everyone else, and they want to prove the point. We have to switch on from the first minute. Our preparation is key to success.”

ALSO READ: Oscar Bruzon highlights East Bengal’s biggest positive from Mohammedan Sporting win

Mumbai have had their ups and downs this season

The reigning ISL champions have had a mixed run of results this season with eight wins from 20 games this season, drawing seven and losing five games. With games against Mohun Bagan Super Giant, Kerala Blasters FC and Bengaluru FC coming up, the Islanders have their work cut out in the upcoming weeks.

While acknowledging the improvement of their competition, Kratky noted, “As I said before the season, there are seven or eight clubs who will compete for the finals, and here we go today. So the competition is getting better. Also, if I look at the players’ availability, that’s also a crucial point for us during the season. But again, we will try to fight and try to finish as high as possible.”

Mumbai is looking to shake off the FC Goa disappointment

The Czech manager was also accompanied by the club’s starting goalkeeper Phurba Lachenpa, who shared his thoughts about the mood in the dressing room after their recent 3-1 loss to FC Goa.

While talking about the mood in the dressing room, Lachenpa stated, “We don’t have much matches in our hands and we can’t sit down. Either we go up or we go down and that’s up to us. As a professional, I think the only way is to go forward and give our best in the next game and play like it’s the last game of the season. We have to take every game as a final from now on.”

The Islanders will be welcoming and missing some stars

The Czech head coach also revealed that the club will be without leading goal scorer Nikolas Karelis through injury, while winger Bipin Singh is out for family reasons. However, the club will be welcoming defender Tiri back to the playing squad after a short absence.

While talking about Karelis’s non-availability, Kratky stated, “We’ve got important members of the team and if they’re missing, if it’s him or someone else, it’s a miss. We hope he’ll be back soon, but he’s very important for us.”

As the Islanders approach a challenging run of fixtures, the goal for Kratky will be to carry a positive momentum with only three games remaining after Hyderabad. Fans and critics will be keeping a close eye on this upcoming game with the ISL playoffs fast approaching.

For more updates, follow Khel Now on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Youtube; download the Khel Now Android App or IOS App and join our community on Whatsapp & Telegram.