Jamshedpur FC will look to move back to the top of the table when they take on fellow heavyweights Mumbai City FC in a high-voltage 2021-22 Indian Super League clash at the Athletic Stadium in Bambolim on Friday.
Jamshedpur saw their game against Hyderabad FC get postponed but the Red Miners are on a six-game unbeaten run, beating SC East Bengal in their last fixture.
The Owen Coyle-coached side are second in the points table with 19 points from 11 games. A win will see them reclaim the top spot as Kerala Blasters (20 points) will not play this evening against ATK Mohun Bagan with the match getting postponed.
Jamshedpur have added to their attacking arsenal with striker Daniel Chima Chukwu joining their ranks from SC East Bengal in the January transfer window. Chima scored two goals for SC East Bengal in 10 appearances.
For Jamshedpur, Ishan Pandita has been a super-sub by all means, netting the winner against SC East Bengal. It was Pandita's sixth goal in the ISL and all his six goals have come from the bench and post the 80th minute.
Mumbai have been off the boil for some time now, going winless for the last five matches and dropping to fourth place in the table with 17 in their kitty from 11 outings. Des Buckingham's charges have struggled at the back and that is a cause for concern for the reigning champions.
Mumbai City have conceded 20 goals this season, crossing their tally of 18 goals conceded in the league stage of ISL 20-21 in just 11 matches.
"We are expecting a good game again. Last time we got off to a good start against them but they came back and the game ended 4-2. They have really good players in their squad and a fantastic coach. We need to focus on going back and playing the football we played in the first 4-5 games," Buckingham said in a statement.
The last time the two teams met, it was a 4-2 win for Mumbai but Jamshedpur showed fight of the highest order to comeback from a 3-0 setback early in the first half.
( With inputs from ANI )
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