ISL 2018-19: Mumbai City FC Season Preview, Squad, Probable XI, Prediction
Mumbai City FC are a couple of days away from getting their 2018-19 ISL campaign underway. The Mumbai outfit has failed to live up to expectations ever since the initiation of the first Indian Super League season. Having managed to grab a play-off spot just once in the last 4 seasons, will the Mumbai lads manage to turn things around this time?
Mumbai kick start their ISL campaign on 2nd October 2018 when they take on Jamshedpur FC at home. With all eyes turned towards them, they will have to deliver an outstanding performance in order to impress the home team supporters.
MUMBAI CITY FC SQUAD
Mumbai City announced their 25 - member squad which has taken both critics as well as fans by surprise. With a significant number of new signings, Mumbai City FC look like a team which will definitely be giving the others a run for their money.
Defensive reinforcements in the form of Subhasish Bose and Anwar Ali, alongside the talented Lucian Goian, has given the Mumbai defense a much needed boost. We also saw 'The Islanders' rope in some fresh talent in the midfield with signings like Souvik Chakrabarti, Raynier Fernandes and Milan Singh. Mumbai further bolstered their midfield by acquiring the signatures of international players like Modou Sougou, Paulo Machado and Matias Mirabaje.
Alan Deory and Rafael Bastos will be leading the attack for the Mumbai lads. On August 14, 2018 Mumbai City FC parted ways with ex-head coach Alexandra Guimaraes and ushered in a new era under the leadership of new head coach Jorge Costa.
Goalkeepers: Amrinder Singh, Kunal Sawant, Ravi Kumar.
Defenders: Anwar Ali, Arnold Issoko, Bikramjeet Singh, Davinder Singh, Lucian Goian, Marko Klisura, Sauvik Chakrabarti, Subhasish Bose, Shouvik Ghosh.
Midfielders: Bipin Singh, Matias Mirabaje, Milan Singh, Modou Sogou, Mohammed Rafique, Paulo Machado, Raynier Fernandes, Sanju Pradhan, Sehnaj Singh, Vignesh Dakshinamurthy.
Forwards: Alen Deory, Pranjal Bhumij, Rafael Bastos.
MUMBAI CITY FC PROBABLE XI
It is no surprise that the Mumbai Blues will line up with Amrinder Singh as their first-choice goalkeeper this season. Amrinder has shown his class in Mumbai's pre-season matches with some brilliant reflexes and excellent ball handling.
Romanian defender Lucian Goian will be a towering presence at the heart of the defense. He is most likely to be supported by Anwar Ali and Subhasish Bose. The manager will face a tough choice when he has to choose between Shouvik Ghosh and Sauvik Chakrabarti. New international signings Modou Sogou and Paulo Machado are fan favorites and the most exciting midfielders to watch out for.
After some fine attacking form in the pre season matches and having found the net on several occasions, Machado will most probably play as an attacking midfielder(CAM) when they take on Jamshedpur in their opening fixture on Tuesday. The international duo is most likely to paired alongside Milan Singh, Raynier Fernandes and Mohammed Rafique in Mumbai's midfield.
Alan Deory will be the sole striker for Mumbai City FC. He will be given the responsibility of converting those mouth watering passes from the midfield into some crucial goals for his side.
Predictions for Mumbai City FC?
Mumbai City FC has had disappointing seasons in the past. However, the new look of the squad this year has given the supporters a ray of hope. Fans are looking forward to this season, hoping that their team will make it to the play-offs and go on to win the title. The team needs to maintain a better record at home games if they wish to make it to the play-offs.
The Mumbai outfit definitely have a star studded line up with some brilliant individual performers but what matters on the main stage is their performance as a single unit. The pre-season in Thailand was a great start to this season and only time will tell if the 'Islanders' will grab a play-off spot this season.
Prediction: Semi-Finalists