05 December,2019 08:38 AM IST | Mumbai | Ronald Chettiar
Jorge Costa
Mumbai City FC (MCFC) have registered only one win from their six outings in the fifth edition of the Indian Super League so far and coach Jorge Costa has admitted his team is under pressure to claim full points when they host Kerala Blasters at the Mumbai Football Arena tonight.
Placed seventh in the league table, this is MCFC's third home game, having lost both their previous ties here (2-4 v Odisha FC and 2-4 v FC Goa). The only win for Costa's side came against the Blasters in Kochi in their first match of the season. "I can openly say that we will be playing under pressure tomorrow. We are far away from where we need to be right now and need to win. But it's part of football. And if we can't handle the pressure then we better get out of football right now," said Costa at the pre-match press conference on Wednesday.
MCFC come into this game on back of two draws, against NorthEast United and ATK, and Costa blamed individual mistakes for that.
"It's always a problem if you lose points due to individual mistakes but the positive thing we must take from the last two games is that we are playing as a team and have shown fighting spirit. But again, everything is undone by small mistakes which are costing us important points," added Costa, 48, whose team recently got a major boost after English Premier League champions Manchester City's parent company City Football Group (CFG) acquired a 65 per cent stake in the Mumbai club.
Meanwhile, Blasters too are languishing in eighth spot in the 10-team table, having just one point from six matches.
Manager Eelco Schattorie, 47, blamed the slump in form to injuries plaguing his side. "We have played six games, and I've had to change the line-up for every game due to injuries," the Dutchman said.
Live on TV
Mumbai City FC v Kerala Blasters FC: Star Sports 2 & 2 HD, 19:30
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