Mumbai City FC vs East Bengal FC: Preview, team news, probable lineups, and more for ISL 2023-24 clash
After taking charge of the club in the hard-fought stalemate against league-leaders FC Goa, Mumbai City's new head coach Petr Kratky will make his debut at the Mumbai Football Arena against East Bengal FC on Saturday, December 16.
The Islanders, in clear contrast to their underwhelming campaign in the AFC Champions League, have scripted an impressive start to their ISL 2023-24 campaign.
With four wins in seven games, they are currently fourth in the table with 15 points. Before the league breaks for the AFC Asian Cup, Mumbai have four crucial fixtures at their hand, beginning with the Red and Gold Brigade.
It's still early days for Kratky at the club and during his pre-match press conference, he underlined his willingness to meet the MCFC fans at the stadium on Saturday.
“I am excited to see the fans in the stadium. Hopefully, we will play good football and win. I didn’t see too much around the surroundings because I have been meeting the players and the staff but I’m excited for tomorrow,” the Czech tactician averred.
Meanwhile, East Bengal will come into the fixture with their own set of struggles, which include inconsistent performances across fixtures. While the 5-0 hammering of NorthEast United promised the turn of a new leaf for the Kolkata Giants, the team failed to capitalize on the momentum and were held to a 0-0 draw by newly-promoted Punjab FC.
Carles Cuadrat will want his men to quickly sort out their attacking deficiencies and gather some crucial points during this crucial phase of fixtures.
Mumbai City FC vs East Bengal FC: Match details
Match: Mumbai City FC vs East Bengal FC, ISL 2023-24.
Venue: Mumbai Football Arena, Mumbai.
Timings: 8:00 pm IST on Saturday, December 16.
Mumbai City FC vs East Bengal FC: Predicted Lineups
Mumbai City FC XI: Phurba Lachenpa (GK), Rahul Bheke, Rostyn Griffiths, Mehtab Singh, Akash Mishra, Apuia, Yoëll van Nieff, Lallianzuala Chhangte, Greg Stewart, Bipin Singh, Jorge Pereyra Diaz.
East Bengal XI: Prabhsukhan Gill (GK), Mohammad Rakip, Lalchungnunga, Hijazi Maher, Mandar Rao Dessai, Souvik Chakrabarti, Saul Crespo, Naorem Mahesh Singh, Borja Herrera, PV Vishnu, Cleiton Silva.
Mumbai City FC vs East Bengal FC: Prediction
Despite their lowly standing of eighth, East Bengal have shown a lot of promises under Cuadrat in phases. However, Mumbai are in fine nick in the league and remain unbeaten till now. Undoubtedly, the Islanders will have a clear edge in the fixture in front of their home fans.
Prediction: Mumbai City FC 3-1 East Bengal FC
Mumbai City FC vs East Bengal: Telecast Details
The ISL 2023-24 clash between Mumbai City FC and East Bengal will be telecast live on the Sports18 Network. Live streaming of the game will be available on the JioCinema app.