Jamshedpur FC will be playing hosts to Mumbai City FC on Friday in what will be an intriguing match at the JRD Tata Complex. In the second match of the game week 15, played this evening both teams will be vying for a win. Mumbai will be playing for consolidating their position in the final four and Jamshedpur to stay in the race for the playoffs.

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Jamshedpur FC, a team that has conceded only two defeats in their 14 matches, is surprisingly placed 5th in the league table. They remained unbeaten in their first seven matches and their tenacity to come from behind and secure eight draws have enabled them to collect 20 points and be in the position that they are in now. In his bid to make the path to the playoffs easier for his boys, Ceasar Ferrando will hope that Raju Gaikwad and Michael Soosairaj will deliver the goods. Jamshedpur will try to make some forays into the Mumbai side in order to disrupt their defences.

Mumbai City FC, particularly after yesterday’s drawn match between Bengaluru and Kerala Blasters, will be aiming to close in on the former for a position at the top of the table with a win in this match. They are coming out of a 2-0 defeat to FC Goa after they defeated the leaders in the table Bengaluru Fc. With 27 points from 14 matches, they are just 4 points shy of the leaders Bengaluru FC. Mumbai City will concentrate on making sure the Jamshedpur attacks are thwarted with their strong back line and will rely on quick counter attacks for scoring goals in this match. Getting three points from this game means that Jorge Costa’s boys are just aft of assuring their place for the playoffs.

Head to head

As Jamshedpur FC has joined the ISL only last year, the two teams have played only three matches against each other. Jamshedpur has won two of those games, and the other one was a draw. Moreover, Jamshed has beaten Mumbai earlier this season in their away match.

Current Form

In their last six matches while Jamshedpur FC has lost one game and won two. Mumbai City has won four and lost one. Both the teams are going into this match with losses in their last matches. While Jamshedpur lost 2-1 to ATK, Mumbai City lost 2-0 to FC Goa.

Players to watch out for

Jamshedpur FC will again have to take the field without Tim Cahill who is nursing a finger injury. They will rely more on the chemistry between Mario Arques and Emerson De Maura (Memo) in the midfield. Sergio Cidoncha and Farukh Chaudhary will also have to be kept under surveillance by Mumbai City.

Mumbai City has been relying on Modou Sougu with 9 goals in the league to score their goals in the difficult games for them. Raphael Bastos and Paulo Machado are also able strikers and have scored 5 goals between them. And then there is Arnoldo Issoko who has two goals to his credit.

Prediction

Despite the fact that Jamshedpur FC has a talented pool of players and a reasonably good defence, Mumbai City's form this season tilts the scales in their favour. I expect Mumbai City to win this game 2-1.