MUMBAI: Punjab FC will look to bounce back from two consecutive losses as they face Mumbai City FC in the Indian Super League tomorrow here at the Mumbai Football Arena. The Shers went down to FC Goa and NorthEast United in close encounters and in an identical 1-2 score line after winning four of their first five matches. Mumbai City are unbeaten in their last five matches, getting the better of Kerala Blasters and FC Goa and drawing against Bengaluru FC, Odisha FC and Chennaiyin FC in their last match before the international break. Punjab FC are currently fifth in the table with 12 points while Mumbai occupy the ninth place with 10 points. The match is scheduled to kick-off at 7:30 PM.
Speaking ahead of the crucial encounter, PFC Head Coach Panagiotis Dilmperis said, “I think the most important thing is to transform the disappointment from the last match into passion to perform well for tomorrow’s match. We created a lot of chances against NorthEast and we have to take the positives from them while playing against one of the best teams in the league tomorrow. Mumbai hasn’t been consistent in the season and it is some bad luck for them that they are in this position, but this is how football works.” “We are playing our second match in 5 days so we need fresh brains and feet on the field. It is important to approach the game with a positive mindset”, the coach added.
Punjab FC went down to ten men NorthEast United in their last fixture and will be back in action again after three days against the Islanders who last played before the international break in a 1-1 draw against Chennaiyin FC.
Ezequiel Vidal has been pivotal in attacking play for Punjab, creating 16 chances along with Filip Mrzljak and Nihal Sudeesh who have created 13 and 12 chances each. Luka Majcen tops the goal scoring charts for the club with three goals from four matches while Asmir Suljic has scored twice.
PFC Midfielder Asmir Suljic during the pre-match press conference said, “The team played well in the last match but we could not convert our chances and because of that, we could not get a positive result. Tomorrow’s match is going to be different and we are prepared to face Mumbai and follow the plan set by the coach. It is going to be a difficult away match for us, but we are confident that we can get a positive result from it.”
Last season, Mumbai City got the better of Punjab FC in both the fixtures. The Islanders won 2-1 at Mumbai while they also overcame the Shers 3-2 in a thriller of a match at New Delhi.
Mumbai City will look to put pressure on Punjab FC at their home, but the Shers will be confident of achieving a positive result from the game to remain within the playoff spots.
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