ISL 2019-20 | It will be a very difficult match, says Jorge Costa

After a solitary goal win against Kerala Blasters in Kochi, Mumbai City FC will face two-time ISL champions Chennaiyin FC in the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Chennai on Sunday. And despite getting a hard-fought win on the road against a tough side, the coach has admitted that CFC would be a steep task to finish.

“We played against Chennaiyin in the pre-season and saw their first match against FC Goa. We will have a difficult game against them. But with due respect to the opposition, the most important thing for me is what we can do in our matches.” said Jorge Costa in the pre-match press conference, ISL Website reported.

Mumbai City FC won banking on a late strike by Tunisian Amine Chermiti against Kerala, which complemented the robust defending that his team put up throughout the 90 minutes in a hostile Kochi atmosphere. The loss came despite MCFC losing Mato Grgic and Paolo Machado to injuries early on in the match. 

However, Costa has stated that his best XI would be fighting for three points regardless of the names on the paper. “These are two different games. We played a wonderful match against Kerala and came out of it with three points. Now, we have to face Chennaiyin. It will be a very difficult match if you ask me. My job is to see that the players recover in time and I can pick my best possible starting XI. One guarantee I can make is that we will fight for the three points.” said the 47-year-old. 

Defender Sarthak Golui, who was with his coach at the press conference, believed the team is confident after the Kerala win. 

“It was important to win the first match of the season. The victory will give us confidence. It was a packed stadium and everyone was backing Kerala to win. But everyone in the team worked hard and we came out on top. We are looking forward to the Chennaiyin match.”