MARGAO:
FC Goa will host Mumbai City FC in the first leg of their Indian Super League (ISL) semi-final fixture on 24 April. The Gaurs qualified for the last-four when they defeated Chennaiyin FC by 2-1 in their playoffs clash. Contrastingly, the Islanders were at the receiving end of a 2-1 defeat against the Mohun Bagan Super Giant in the title-winning clash at the Salt Lake Stadium in Kolkata on 15 April. They still finished second in the league stage to book a direct berth into the semi-finals.
Recent Form
FC Goa endured a bit of a lean period after the season restarted. They faced three losses in the first five matches of the second half of the campaign. However, four victories in five encounters before the playoffs meant that they cruised to finish the league in the third place. Even in the knockouts, they were assertive from the offset, securing a two-goal lead thanks to goals by Noah Sadaoui and Brandon Fernandes before Lazar Cirkovic pulled a goal back for Marina Machans.
On the other hand, Mumbai City FC won eight of the nine games they played after Jamshedpur FC won 3-2 against them in the City of Dreams in February. It all, however, went down the wire and the Mariners managed to edge past them in a hotly contested fixture in the home game of the latter. Will the Islanders overcome that to pack a punch in this game, or will the failure to defend the championship take a toll on their players? Only time will tell.
Overall Form
FC Goa ended up securing 45 points in the 22 matches that they played in the league, only three behind the Champions Mohun Bagan Super Giant and two fewer than runners-up Mumbai City FC. They hit the back of the net 39 times, Noah and Carlos Martinez contributing with 11 and 10 strikes each.
The Gaurs were at the top of their game defensively, leaking only 21 strikes. Though they fell down the ladder due to the upsurge by the Mohun Bagan Super Giant and Mumbai City FC in the last couple of months, FC Goa ensured that they were still the third-best team in the league at the end of 22 matches.
Similarly, Mumbai City FC were at the top of the game both defensively and offensively. They faced the fewest shots (231) and the least amongst them (64) on target, and kept the third-most clean sheets (8) in the tournament this term. The Islanders gave away only 19 goals in the league, in addition to netting 42 times with a shot conversion rate of 13.42%. They also created the most goal-scoring opportunities (216), and will hope to bring their A-game to the table at the Fatorda.
What’s at stake?
FC Goa
FC Goa are winless in their last 10 meetings against Mumbai City FC, losing and drawing five times each. Against no other team have the Gaurs recorded a longer winless streak in ISL history. However, they are unbeaten in their last four playoff matches, winning and drawing twice in the time being.
A victory in this match will make it the first time that they register consecutive victories in this stage of the competition though. Collectively, they manage to build consistent pressure on the opposition, registering 28 touches inside the box per game in the current campaign, in fact, their 645 such touches from 23 games this season is also the highest such total by any side in a single season in competition history.
Mumbai City FC
Mumbai City FC had a five-match-long winning streak away from home come to an end with their recent 2-1 loss against the Mariners. The Islanders have netted 12 times in their last five games on the road. However, they have been unable to score in five away matches against the Gaurs, which is the most against any side in the ISL.
