All eyes will be set on Uruguay football legend Diego Forlan, who is probably the biggest of all the marquee players in ISL 2016, when he takes to the Indian football field to ply his trade. Forlan's Mumbai City FC take on rivals FC Pune City in a Maharashtra Derby on Monday.
Question: Is Forlan fit to participate in the match? Answer: Yes.
The bad news for the teams tonight is that as many as three star Indian players will not be a part of the Maharashtra Derby. Eugeneson Lyngdoh (Pune), Sunil Chhetri and Amrinder Singh (both Mumbai) are at the moment with Bengaluru FC, who are plying their trade in the historic AFC Cup 2016 semifinals.
Also, Pune's new coach Antonio Habas will not be available on the sidelines as the Spaniard is serving a four-match suspension, enforced by the AIFF Disciplinary Committee for aggressive behaviour during Atletico de Kolkata's match against Chennaiyin FC in the ISL 2015 semifinals.
FC Pune's assistant coach Miguel will be in charge of the team for the match. There is a question mark, meanwhile, over the participation of Momo Sissoko, announced as the marquee player of the Pune side during the opening day of the ISL 2016. The former Liverpool holding midfielder replaced the injured Eidur Gudjohnsen.
"He [Sissoko] arrived yesterday [Saturday], and about tomorrow I cannot tell you anything [about his participation in the game]," Miguel informed on Sunday. "It's our job. We will decide who we plan to play tomorrow. But, he is ready to play. He is one of the members of the 25-to-26 players we have," the Spaniard added.
For Mumbai City FC, all eyes will be set on the Indo-Uruguayan combination of Jackichand Singh and Forlan up front, while Edel Bete in the Pune goal, will be yet another key player.
"I did not get many days in the team's pre-season in Dubai as I was with the national team," said Jackichand. "For now, whenever I make a mistake, I am corrected. He (Forlan) does not talk much but whenever I make a mistake he points it out," the Indian winger added.
