Mumbai City FC take on Delhi Dynamos in their second home game of the Indian Super League today (Wednesday) and the Maharashtra side will be expected to figh tback following their first home loss this season.
Nicolas Anelka's side are currently at the bottom of the table this season with no win so far. They are on a point from their last three games. Their opponents, meanwhile, stay joint league leaders at the moment with nine points from four games.
On paper, the visitors look a better side with three wins on the trot and that makes matters a bit worse for the hosts today.
"We have good passing, good possession and we create a lot of chances. But we are not converting," Mumbai City assistant coach Oscar Bruzon ponted it out. "There is no more room for mistakes and we have to win."
The former Sporting Clube de Goa head coach also had some praise for Haiti forward Sony Norde, who has carved innumerable chances for the team so far, though he has failed to score any. "He [Norde] is creating a lot of chances but not scoring and has been too far from goal since he cuts in from the left. We need to help him [get into scoring areas]," Bruzon said.
The absence of marquee player Anelka in any of the games so far for Mumbai has hurt the home side immensely. In today's match also, the Frenchman will be absent from the game due to a groin strain.
It will be seen whether Indian talisman Sunil Chhetri will be deployed as a striker upfront in place of Frederic Piquionne, or whether he starts in the No 10 role. Sony Norde and Gabriel Fernandes, meanwhile, could be expected to start in the flanks.
For Indian football legend Raman Vijayan, who is also the assistant coach of Delhi Dynamos, maintaining the momentum remains the key, as they go for a vital away win today to become the table toppers.
"We are a very organised side, be it the defensive or the attacking side. As a team, we stick to small passes and we have developed a new style of playing with [a nice] understanding between foreigners and Indian players," Vijayan said.
"Roberto [Carlos] helped develop the attitudes of players. Winning is the big deal, so far away games, we are really enjoying it," he added.
The presence of Norde is a threat for any defence, and Souvik Chakraborty, who has been one of the key members in the Delhi Dynamos defence so far, revealed his plans ahead of the game to keep Norde in check.
"There is no special plan in place. It will be a united effort on the team's part. Mumbai City is a good side with a good attacking squad. So we'll be looking to handle them better," the Indian footballer said.
Where to watch live
Mumbai City FC vs Delhi Dynamos is scheduled for a 7pm IST (2.30pm BST, 9.30am ET) start, with live TV coverage in India on Star Sports 2, Star Sports HD2, Star Sports 3, Star Sports HD3, Star Gold, Star Utsav (both Hindi), Jalsha Movies (Bengali), Jaya Max (Tamil) and Asianet Movies (Malayalam) and Suvarna TV (Kannada).
LIVE streaming will be available on Hotstar and Starsports.com.
Viewers in the US and Australia can catch the game live on Fox Sports, while the online live stream option is on Foxsoccer2go and Foxtel. Viewers in Canada can watch the Indian Super League 2015 game live on CBN and ATN.
Eurosport is the place to be if viewers in Europe and South East Asia want to watch the game live. The match can also be live streamed on Eurosport Player.
Viewers in the UK can watch the match live on Star Gold, while Middle East and North Africa viewers can catch the action live on OSN, with live streaming option on OSN Play.
