With the exception of a victory over NorthEast United, East Bengal has been awful from the start, losing four of their first five games. The Torchbearers were able to get back on track with two victories over Bengaluru and Jamshedpur in their subsequent three matches, but they were soon derailed.
The team led by Stephen Constantine lost six of their next seven games, losing twice to Hyderabad and once to Mumbai City, Odisha, Jamshedpur, and Goa. They did well when they beat Kerala Blasters in their next game, but a draw against NorthEast United, which is ranked 11th, and a loss to Chennaiyin have hurt the camp’s morale.
Mumbai City’s story is entirely different because they have been in charge of everything since the beginning. Des Buckingham’s team had a less convincing start, winning only two of their first five games and drawing the other three, but they went on to win 11 games in a row.
Prediction
The gap in the standings demonstrates that there is a significant disparity in personnel quality between the two teams. We have predicted that Mumbai City will easily win this match due to their favorable head-to-head records and home support.
Head to Head Record
The head-to-head records are overwhelmingly in Mumbai City’s favor. The Torchbearers have never prevailed in this particular matchup, as the Islanders have won four of the previous five league encounters with East Bengal, with the other game ending in a draw.
Buckingham’s team prevailed 3-0 in their first meeting of the season, which took place in December. At the Vivekananda Yuva Bharati Krirangan, the Islanders earned all three points thanks to goals from Greg Stewart and Apuia Ralte.
Team News
Since Mumbai City can no longer claim the title of “invincibles,” Buckingham might give some of his most important players a day off because this team has a critical few weeks ahead of them and this game is a dead rubber. Mandar Rao Dessai could take Vignesh Dakshinamurthy’s place as defense.
Rostyn Griffiths took the place of Ahmed Jahouh in the previous match, and the center back might be used in the middle of the field again in this one. In addition, Vikram Pratap Singh could provide Bipin Singh with much-needed rest.
After a disappointing 0-2 defeat against Chennaiyin, Constantine will likely make a few adjustments to his starting lineup. In that game, Jerry Lalrinzuala struggled against Ajith Kumar, so Sarthak Golui could be moved to left back in his place. Mohamad Rakip, on the other hand, might take over for the injured right back.
Predicted XIs
East Bengal (4-4-2):
- Kamaljit Singh;
- Mohamad Rakip, Lalchungnunga, Charalampos Kyriakou, Sarthak Golui;
- Sumeet Passi, Souvik Chakrabarti, Alex Lima, Naorem Mahesh Singh;
- Cleiton Silva, Jake Jervis.
Mumbai City (4-3-3):
- Phurba Lachenpa;
- Sanjeev Stalin, Mourtada Fall, Mehtab Singh, Mandar Rao Dessai;
- Apuia Ralte, Rostyn Griffiths, Alberto Noguera;
- Lallianzuala Chhangte, Jorge Pereyra Diaz, Vikram Pratap Singh.
Bengal Tips
Mumbai City have won four of their last six games by three or more goals, and I think they will finish the regular season with another comprehensive victory.
Where to watch
All of Chelsea’s Indian Super League games can be streamed online on Disney+ Hotstar/JioTV, according to reports.