Things have not gone according to plan for two teams, Mumbai City FC and NorthEast United FC as they lie on fifth and ninth place in the ISL 2017 standings. Both teams, who are set for a head-to-head encounter, will be looking to pick three clear points at Indira Gandhi Athletic Stadium in Guwahati on Wednesday.
NorthEast may not have been outplayed in any of their recent matches, and have lost 1-0 in their last two matches. It is also a case of luck as there were instances in both the matches when they could have sealed, at least, a point.
However, there will be no room for error when they face Mumbai City. NorthEast, to a certain extent, will also depend on the home support, which has always been amazing. They have played two matches at home, where they have suffered a loss and a goalless draw. They are awaiting their first three points of the season at home, and NorthEast will be eager to change all that on Wednesday.
Finding the back of the net has been a major problem, which needs to be addressed by coach Joao de Deus, who is confident of turning the tables soon.
"We have scored only twice till now. But we are working to change that and I believe we can change that at any moment. Of course, it is a concern if we don't score, but everybody realises that. I hope in a couple of games, we will all stop speaking about it," ISL official website quoted de Deus as saying.
Mumbai are in desperate need to start off their games well. They have been conceding first most of the times, and the team comes under a lot of pressure after going down. Mumbai will need players like Thiago Santos to deliver with goals.
NorthEast played their last game on Friday while Mumbai featured on Sunday. Hence, the latter had lesser time to rest compared to Northeast, but that does not seem to be a problem for Mumbai coach Alexandre Guimaraes. He feels that 72 hours is enough for rest.
"We have at least 72 hours. The problem is when you have less than 72 hours. I think this period of free days is usual in football nowadays. The problem is when you have less than 72 hours or when you have to travel a long way to play. We are happy to be here. This is one of the best pitches in India. The fans here are also fantastic. I hope that tomorrow we can have a good game," said Guimaraes.
Mumbai are aware that a win will help them go above FC Pune in the standings and NorthEast can also go higher up the table with a win too.
Where to watch live
NorthEast United vs Mumbai City is scheduled for 8 pm IST.
India - Star Sports 2/HD, Star Sports Hindi 1/HD, Star Sports 3, Star Gold, Star UTSAV, Jalsha Movies, Suvarna Plus.
Live streaming: Hotstar
Live score: Twitter
