East Bengal FC cross swords with Mumbai City FC in their last game of Hero ISL 2022/23 Phase 1

A win in this game would help Stephen Constantine and Co. get three crucial points and boost their chances of securing a top 6 spot.

In six games played between the Red & Gold Brigade and the Islanders so far, EBFC have won twice, drawn once and ended up on the losing side on three occasions.

EBFC’s Brazilian midfielder Alex Lima will potentially make his 50th Hero Indian Super League (ISL) appearance on Friday. In eight appearances this season, the 34-year-old has registered a goal, 231 passes, 302 touches, 4 interceptions and 2 clearances.

Mumbai City FC, meanwhile, have been unbeaten in this season’s Hero ISL. That said, EBFC defeated the Islanders in their last outing, i.e. their Durand Cup 2022 encounter on September 3. Cleiton Silva and Sumeet Passi netted a brace each in the 7-goal thriller to hand the Kolkata giants a 4-3 victory. The win would certainly inspire Stephen Constantine & Co. heading into Friday’s high-octane clash.

Speaking to the media on the eve of the game, Constantine said, “They have a good team and some good players. That said, we will fight with all our might. I don’t think we have been outplayed or destroyed by any team in the league so far. You can see that we’ve been very competitive in all the games. Hopefully, we’ll continue to improve and see what happens.”

Cleiton, who attended the pre-match Press Conference alongside Constantine, lauded his fellow attackers, saying, “I’ve built a beautiful relationship with my East Bengal teammates. Mahesh, especially, has developed a lot and it’s great to have him in the side. I can say the same about Suhair. They are always dangerous when they have the ball.”