ISL 2024-25: Upbeat Jamshedpur FC face Mumbai City FC test at the furnace

Jamshedpur (Jharkhand) [India], September 21 (ANI): Mumbai City FC (MCFC) will travel to take on Jamshedpur FC (JFC) at the JRD Tata Sports Complex on Saturday at 5:30 pm IST.

The hosts have struggled in their recent meetings with Mumbai, having won just one of their last four ISL encounters. This is a significant contrast to their earlier dominance, where they claimed five victories in 10 clashes.

MCFC has shown strong form on the road, remaining unbeaten in their last three away games. This run includes a 2-2 draw against Mohun Bagan Super Giant in their opening match of the season. A failure to secure a win in this game could mark the first time since the 2018-19 season that the Islanders have failed to register a win in their first two away fixtures.

On the other hand, JFC has faced challenges at home, conceding at least one goal in each of their last nine home games. This streak includes just one win, a worrying trend as they aim to reverse their fortunes. Only Hyderabad FC (11) have a longer active streak without a clean sheet in the competition.

Jamshedpur head coach Khalid Jamil boasts an impressive record against Mumbai City FC, having lost only one of his five ISL encounters with the Islanders. However, that defeat came in their most recent meeting, a 3-0 loss in March 2024.

“We must believe in ourselves in what we can do. We have to prepare, and we should not be overconfident. The next game is also a big game in our home ground. We have to be prepared, and we must get positive results,” Jamil said, as quoted by the ISL official website.

Mumbai head coach Petr Kratky hailed the character of his players after their hard-fought draw against the Mariners. He encouraged them to keep working hard, as he believes that the quality in their ranks would be reflected in the results soon.

“Character is one of the important things we want in the changing room because there will be hard times during the season. But we have to keep working hard, and our quality will show in the end because I believe we have some quality in the team, which we showed it again,” Kratky said.

“I wouldn’t say that playing away from home is a pressure. It’s a challenge that every footballer has to face. At the end of the day, we want fans to enjoy the game tomorrow, but hopefully we win the match,” Kratky added.

Jamshedpur FC’s attacking midfielder Javi Hernandez is now playing for his fifth ISL club, the second most by any foreign player in competition history after Marcelinho (6). He has scored 21 goals, notched 16 assists, and created 1.58 goal-scoring opportunities every game in his 100 ISL appearances. Hernandez will want to hit the ground running against the Islanders.

Mumbai City FC’s Tiri will be keen to showcase his skills against his former team. The central defender made two interceptions, three recoveries, won four duels along with completing five clearances against the Mariners. He also scored in the 70th minute, displaying his utility upfront.