ISL 2019-20: Mumbai City FC boss Jorge Costa confident of positive result against Odisha despite team's injury concerns

Mumbai: Jorge Costa's Mumbai City FC have done well to negotiate two difficult away matches at the beginning of the season, but looks like it has come at a cost. They won their first match against Kerala Blasters 1-0 and then played a goalless draw against Chennaiyin, but in the process, a few of the team's key players suffered injuries.

File image of Modou Sougou of Mumbai City FC. Sportzpics/ISL

Apart from losing defenders Mato Grgic and Serge Kevyn to injuries, goalscorer Modou Sogou is now doubtful for Mumbai City's first home match of the season against Odisha FC at the Mumbai Football Arena on 31 October.

There is a legitimate reason for Costa to fret, but the Portuguese manager is not too worried and believes his team is up for the challenge.

"I don't have 11 players. I have 25 players in my team. We have some injury problems, but if you have seen how the team played on the field, you cannot think that some players were missing. They are giving their best," Costa said.

"Maybe I will make a mistake. But tomorrow, you'll see the best playing XI. My players are ready for the fight. My players have been ready since last two months. Yes, we will change a few things tomorrow (Thursday) but what you will see (players), will be the best from the team," he added.

Had they been at their full strength, Costa's side, who finished in the top-four last season, would've been runaway favourites against Odisha. The absence of important players may prove crucial on Thursday, but Costa's confidence stems from the fact that they managed to pull off four points from two tough matches. The team has shown that it has what it takes to grind out the results.

"Two tough away games and we finished with four points. It was not perfect but I'm happy. We played two matches in 72 hours so I'm very happy with the players and very happy with their performance. If it was six, then I would've been the most happiest coach in the world, but four points are not bad," Costa said in the pre-match press conference.

"I said this before. Last year, I made some mistakes. Also, because I'm not stupid, I try to avoid those mistake this year. So for me, it was much easier to start off this season than one year back. Last season, we finished in the top four, and now we have four points from two matches but we need to finish like how we did last season," Costa said when asked about his team's decent start to the season.

Nevertheless, the manager also spoke about the shortcomings of the team, focussing on the defence despite not conceding a single goal so far.

"A lot of things (need improvements). My players know that I will not be 100 per cent happy. I know my players work very hard. It's true that we didn't concede any goals but it's also true that Kerala and Chennai had opportunities to score. I'm speaking here about the defence."

Odisha FC, formerly Delhi Dynamos, didn't have best of starts to the season. They lost their opening two matches despite playing some promising football. However, Costa said the form of any team doesn't count for much this early into the season and urged Mumbai City to show respect and not take their opposition for granted.

"Last year, they played really good. I remember in almost all the matches, they created a lot of opportunities to score. This year, they played two difficult games and have zero points. We must respect Odisha FC. We can't go to the matches thinking it will be easy. They have zero points but that's okay because they're playing good football. Yes, it's important to have respect but we should also think what our team can do and what we must do (to beat them)."

Josep Gombau, Odisha FC's manager also believes that his team deserved something from both the matches. Zero points on the table is harsh and Gombau is hopeful that his team will not take long to turn around their fortunes.

"We don't have the results but we played two good games, especially the second one. Maybe we made some mistakes in terms of passing accuracy in the first match but we controlled the second game and we created chances. We do not deserve no points on the table at this moment but I'm confident that the team will do the job tomorrow"

Odisha are playing their first four matches away from home because their stadium in Bhubaneswar is not ready yet. Gombau understands that to begin the season with four away games is as difficult as it can get, but he also points out that there are no excuses for failures.

"For sure. We are playing many games away from home because our stadium is not ready but I don't want to use it as an excuse. Yes, it is difficult but I don't want my players to be giving this excuse. Every game is different and with this squad, I feel we can get the results at any place."

Costa's Mumbai are not an easy side to break, considering how tight they defend. They don't play the open game and usually rely on the counter-attacks to make an impact. Gombau is wary of that threat and said his players are confident of eking out a positive result on Thursday.

"Mumbai have a very good squad and an excellent coach. He has a lot of experience in Europe. They finished top four last season and they have a balanced team. It will be a very equal game and that is what I expect. At the moment we have zero points but everyone in the team is confident that we can do well tomorrow.”

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