ISL 2020-21 LIVE, ATKMB vs MCFC Live Streaming: Mumbai City starts strong against ATK Mohun Bagan

Welcome to Sportstar's ISL 2020-21 LIVE blog of the ATK Mohun Bagan vs Mumbai City FC clash.

34' Williams and Ogbeche with a coming together and a freekick is awarded to ATKMBA. Ogbeche looked to nutmeg the Aussie but Williams closed his legs in time.

30' Drinks break taken.

29' ATKMB wins the ball outside its own box and looks to hit MCFC on the break. Williams picks up the ball and looks for the pass over the top for Krishna but the striker is offside.

26' Fall and Williams involved in a tussle for the ball here. Fall shoves down Williams with one push before smashing the ball straight at the fallen Aussie.

23' ATKMB is slowly getting itself back here. Having a short spell with the ball with Pritam released down the right in space. His cross to Krishna inside the box is cut out.

18' More attack through the left. Mandar with a cross which Jhingan puts behind for a corner. ATKMB can't get hold of the ball here. Corner cleared away as another MCFC attack begins.

14' MCFC in charge in the early stages with Bipin whipping in dangerous crosses into the box. Tiri with some composure to chest down a fierce cross to his partner Jhingan to clear it away.

11' SCRAMBLE AT THE GOALLINE! MCFC on the attack through the right with Cy playing in Amey down the byline. His cross is squared into the area where MCFC players look to bundle the ball into the net but are somehow denied. Arindam with a save on the goalline.

9' Boumous cuts inside ATKMB's box but his shot lacks power and is straight at Arindam.

7' Raynier with a foul on Javier inside MCFC's half. Edu stands over the freekick and whips it in but Ogbeche heads it away. Ogbeche is back in his own half again to win the ball off Javier to set MCFC away in attack.

5' Period of possession for MCFC sees Borges playing Bipin down the left and the winger putting in an inviting cross into the box but Tiri is there to clear it.

2' Challenges flying in and players getting stuck in the opening two minutes.  Martins with a foul on Boumous with a late tackle.

1' ATKMB gets the match underway from left to right.

FIRST HALF

7.25 pm: Both teams make their way out to the middle.

A rare start for Ogbeche, just his fourth this season in 10 matches. - ISL/Sportzpics

Edu Garcia is among the most creative midfielders in the ATKMB XI. He starts alongside Javier Herandez today. - ISL/Sportzpics

6.50 pm: Two changes for Mumbai. One forced change in form of Cy Goddard coming in for the suspended Ahmed Jahouh. Interesting selection up top with Bartholomew Ogbeche replacing Adam le Fondre, who is on the bench.

6.45 pm: Three changes for ATKMB. McHugh, Prabir, Sahil - OUT. Martins, Javier Hernandez, Manvir - IN. Javier Hernandez returns to the team for the first time since December 3 against Odisha FC.

6.30 pm: The team news is in

ATK Mohun Bagan XI (4-4-2)

Arindam Bhattacharja; Pritam Kotal, Tiri, Sandesh Jhingan, Subhasish Bose, Edu Garcia, Javier Hernandez, Glan Martins, Manvir Singh; David Williams, Roy Krishna.

Mumbai City FC XI (4-2-3-1)

Amrinder Singh; Amey Ranawade, Mourtada Fall, Hernan Santana, Mandar Rao Dessai; Rowlin Borges, Raynier Fernandes, Cy Goddard, Hugo Boumous, Bipin Singh; Bartholomew Ogbeche

ATKMB has the best defensive record (3 goals conceded) this season. Jhingan and Co have managed seven cleansheets from nine matches. Can they stop Mumbai City from scoring? - ISL/Sportzpics

6.10 pm: Mumbai City has scored the most goals (10) in the first half of the matches this season, while ATKMB has conceded just once in the opening half.

5:50pm: Here's how we think the two sides could line up today:

ATK Mohun Bagan predicted XI (3-5-2)

Arindam Bhattacharja; Pritam Kotal, Tiri, Sandesh Jhingan.Prabir Das, Carl McHugh, Edu Garcia, Pronay Halder, Subhasish Bose; David Williams, Roy Krishna.

Mumbai City FC predicted XI (4-2-3-1)

Amrinder Singh; Amey Ranawade, Mourtada Fall, Hernan Santana, Mandar Rao Dessai; Rowlin Borges, Raynier Fernandes, Cy Goddard, Hugo Boumous, Bipin Singh; Adam Le Fondre

Here is the full points table

ATK Mohun Bagan, Mumbai City face off in clash for top spot

Two of the most consistent sides so far in the 2020-21 season of Indian Super League (ISL) – Mumbai City FC and ATK Mohun Bagan – set up a clash for a place on the top of the current standings, at the Fatorda Stadium on Monday.

As the tournament approaches the half-way stage, the top sides of the league would like to seize the initiative before the second half of the season.

The current leader Mumbai City FC has scored 16 goals so far and also proved to have the best goal scoring ability with a goal conversion rate of 15.84%. It has scored continuously in the last eight games. This makes the clash interesting as Mohun Bagan has a very good defence having maintained seven clean sheets in nine games. What makes it more important is the fact that Mohun Bagan is yet to concede a goal from open play this season.

The ATK Mohun Bagan coach Antonio Lopez Habas did not wish to follow the indications offered by statistics. “I don't think that Mumbai is a team that only attacks. They are good in progressional play as well as in counter-attacks. It is very difficult to stop their team because they always play forward but I don't think it is just a match between attacking and defending because football is all about it,”Habas said.

“The importance of a match depends on the moment. At present it is a match between the first and second teams. Maybe two or three weeks later, the match may not have the same importance but the idea presently is to play with all intensity,” Habas added.

Making a switchover from a successful side like FC Goa, the Mumbai City FC coach Sergio Lobera has kept his team unbeaten following a defeat in the opening round. But Lobera preferred to treat the match as a mid-season clash and did not wish to attach any more importance.

READ | ISL 2020-21: No new coach bounce for Bengaluru FC, but Moosa offers path for a new beginning  

“I think it is going to be important but not a crucial game. It is just halfway and in this competition anything is possible. Anything can change in short time in the league . Most important thing is now to keep our focus and improve our game,” said Lobera, whose team is currently leading the current standings with 22 points from nine mathes.

Mohun Bagan is just behind with 20 points gained from its nine outings. Though there are no injury concerns for the Spaniard, he will miss the services of Ahmed Jahouh, who received his second red card of the season.

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The seventh edition of the Indian Super League got underway inside a bio-bubble in Goa on November 20.

The tournament, spanning over four months, will see 11 teams play each other in a league and playoff format across three venues. Following the inclusion of SC East Bengal, this season will feature 115 games, up from 95 last season.