Mumbai: After three consecutive goal-less draws, Mumbai City FC face a tough task in their search for a win as they take on table-toppers Chennaiyin FC in an Indian Super League (ISL) match here on Sunday.
The Peter Reid-coached home side is going through a poor run of form in the last few matches and has not been able to find the back of the net against FC Goa twice and the Kerala Blasters despite creating a lot of chances.
The former Manchester City manager was not pleased with his team's finishing in the last outing against FC Goa at home; and after a gap of almost a week, the team would have been rejuvenated and worked hard on their weaknesses.
Defenders Pavel Cmvos, Manuel Fredrich and Johan Letzelter have manned the Mumbai citadel well to help custodian Subrata Paul maintain a clean sheet in last five games.
Mumbai's strike force comprising French import Nicolas Anelka, Brazilian Andre Moritz and Subhash Singh would look to make inroads and penetrate the Chennaiyin defence.
Chennaiyin, managed by Italian World Cup winner Marco Materazzi, are a formidable outfit and do not lack in attacking firepower either.
Brazilian signing Elano Blumer, the youngest marquee player in the ISL, has been a prolific contributor to the team's cause, scoring in almost every match he has played.
The midfielder, who has played for Manchester City, has scored eight goals in his nine appearances. He has found an able partner in Colombian striker John Mendoza, who has found the back of the net four times.
The Abhishek Bachchan and Mahendra Singh Dhoni co-owned team had featured in four drawn games before thrashing Pune City 3-1 in their previous match and would look to extend the winning momentum.
The hosts might have been undefeated in the last five matches but their last loss came at the hands of Sunday's same opponents in the 5-1 drubbing on October 28, and the Ranbir Kapoor co-owned home side would be wary of that fact.
Materazzi and Mikael Silvestre missed the previous game against Pune due to injuries and Chennaiyin's defence would certainly be boosted should they report fit on Sunday.
Mumbai have 12 points in their kitty from nine games, while Chennaiyin have 16 points from their nine matches.
In a big blow to the visitors, the tournament's leading goal-scorer Elano has been ruled out for Sunday's game due to an injury he picked in the previous game. The Chennai franchise will also be without the services of Mendoza and Gourmangi Singh.
"They are not going to play tomorrow," Materazzi told reporters on the eve of the match. He added that he wasn't aware for how long they would be out of action.
The hosts have maintained a clean sheet since their 1-5 loss to Chennai and the Italian said Sunday is a different game.
"We respect Mumbai. They are the best in the ISL but we are not the worst. We won 5-1 in a home game but tomorrow is a different game. We need points and they too. We will see," he said.
He said that he was happy that his team was peaking at the right time.
"Maybe we will go to the semi-finals but it is important that we are peaking. Whether we win, lose or draw, for me it is the same," he said.
For Mumbai, it is unclear whether Anelka would play in Sunday's match. "Everything will be basically assessed tonight. We are going to give every player as much chance to get fully fit.
"Whether they play or not is subject to tonight's (training) and the treatment they get," Mumbai City FC assistant coach Steve Darby said on the availability of Anelka and marquee player Frederik Ljungberg.
Darby said the team could have won the last match against Goa had they converted their chances.
"The first game against Chennai, it was such a big defeat that affects players mentally. We needed to work to get a stable back four. We have missed some in the last game in particular; we should have won that but we missed a couple of chances," he said.
He added that the league was wide open at this stage.
"I think it is really tight. The only ones that seem to be struggling a bit are Delhi at the moment and we are going to play them next week. If Delhi win three in a row, everything changes. It is the tightest league that I have played in."
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