After fine away run, Mumbai City in search of first win on home soil

Mumbai City, which has registered three wins on the road, suffered two defeats and one draw in its first three home matches in the Indian Super League (ISL) 2019-20. It will be up against a Hyderabad side which is yet to register an away success. Coming into the tie, Jorge Costa’s team is on a five-match unbeaten run.

The good news for the Portuguese coach is that his side isn’t dependent on a particular player for goals. Tunisian Amine Chermiti has four goals to his name and as many as 11 different players have a goal each under their belt.

However, what would concern Costa is that his team struggles to keep clean sheets, something which it hasn’t managed in the last seven games.

The gaffer will also have to deal with the absence of Paulo Machado and Rowllin Borges, who are out with injuries. The Portuguese midfielder might sit out for a longer duration.

“We have picked up more points away from home, it’s a good sign. We have to be much stronger at home and we’ve to change this. And this must start (on Sunday),” said Costa. Hyderabad head coach Phil Brown shares a similar headache as his side has not kept a clean sheet and has been the weakest defence, conceding 19 goals from nine matches. The good news for Englishman Brown is that star striker Bobo has found his scoring boots as he has three goals so far.

Spaniard Nestor Gordillo, who returned from suspension, looked good in his ISL debut. Central defender Rafael Lopez is also back in contention for a start after recovering from an injury.

“It is a big challenge to play against MCFC as it is a big football club. But bigger the challenge, the bigger wehave to be. You can’t shy away from that. We have to be at our best if we want to beat Mumbai City,” said Brown.