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Mumbai City FC
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Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, Delhi
6 November, 2015
It’s a clash for supremacy in the Indian Super League (ISL), as Delhi Dynamos FC and Mumbai City FC go head-to-head against each other on Friday.
Being the home team, Delhi Dynamos are expected to have the upper hand in the match. They would also have the onus upon themselves, to go out and get the win that would take them to the top of the table.
On the other side, Mumbai City FC would be reeling from their 4-1 home loss at the hands of the struggling Atletico de Kolkata (ATK), which might have put them in a sticky situation with regards to their position on the table. A win for Nicolas Anelka’s men would in fact take them above both ATK and Delhi Dynamos FC, and into the semi-final playoff spots.
Team News and Tactical Brief
Delhi Dynamos FC
The Delhi Dynamos FC stand a great chance of surging into the lead in the ISL table. A two-point lead on the half-way mark of the league would be a good sign of things for Roberto Carlos’ men and they would certainly be looking to get the win against Mumbai City FC.
A draw in their last match against North East United FC would not have been a favourable for Delhi, which is why they would be looking to get onto the scoresheet as soon as possible. The presence of both Richard Gadze and Robin Singh makes their forward lineup quite a potent one in spite of the latter not performing up to the expectations.
Gadze on the other hand, has been a revelation this season, providing the playmakers with mobility. He also provides the wingers a strong areal threat to aim their crosses at, and this is something that can hurt even the best of defenses in the league.
To complement this aerial threat, there are also the likes of Florent Malouda and Souvik Chakraborty, who can swing the ball into the danger areas, for Robin and Gadze to get onto the end of.
Delhi Dynamos Porbable Starting XI (4-3-3): Doblas; Ralte, Riise, Anas, Souvik; Chicao, Francis, Mulder; Gadze, Malouda, Robin.
Mumbai City FC
With players like Frederic Piquionne, Sony Norde, Subhash Singh, and Sunil Chhetri, Mumbai City FC have arguably the most potent attacking lineup in the league. The Power of Piquionne and Norde, the Pace of Subahsh, and the ruthless efficiency of Chhetri combine to wreak havoc in the opposition defences.
However, it is at the other end that Mumbai City Fc could find themselves more vulnerable, and they are set to make a couple of changes to their defence, in order to win the match. They were dismal last time round against an ATK side that was previously struggling to find goals. ATK capitalised of Mumbai City FC’s defensive frailties to put four past them.
Thus Nicolas Anelka is expected to bring put Kinshuk Debnath at left back, and Aitor Fernandez on the right, enabling him to have three foreign players in defence. This of course means benching one of the foreign midfielders or forwards, and it could most probably be Lalchhuanmawia Fanai, replacing Bertin in midfield.
Mumbai City FC Probable Starting XI (4-2-3-1): Paul; Kinshuk, O’Dea, Cmovs, Aitor; Benachour, Gabriel; Norde, Chhetri, Subhash; Piquionne.
Prediction:
Delhi Dynamos FC 2-3 Mumbai City FC
Mumbai City FC have been on good form and would be looking to shrug of the 4-1 at the hands of ATK, in their last match. As both the sides have some good attackers on their side, this could end up to be a rather interesting affair for the fans, with lots of goals in it.
Image Courtesy: ISL Media Team