Lajong take on relegated Mumbai FC today

Shillong: Shillong Lajong will look to leave behind their 2-0 home loss against Bengaluru FC when they take on bottom-placed Mumbai FC in an I-League match at the Cooperage Ground in Mumbai on Sunday.
On the verge of their best ever I-League finish, fifth-placed Lajong would be determined to take their five-match unbeaten streak in away matches forward when they take on the beleaguered Mumbai side.
In the first leg Lajong beat 3-1 with Aser Dipanda Dicka scoring a brace and Chinglensana Singh netting the third goal while Karan Sawhney had scored a consolation goal for the visiting side.
However, Lajong gaffer Thangboi Singto is wary of the hosts who are already certain to be relegated from the I-League and hence have nothing to lose coming to the tie.
“Mumbai FC will go all out for a win. So we need to be patient and stay strong defensively and hopefully score on the counters.
“We have to continue playing as we did so far but with more spirit and enthusiasm,” Singto said ahead of the tie.
“The pressure is always there for all teams. The teams that show real character under pressure will do well in the end. Mumbai FC have the players with such character,” he added.
Mumbai, meanwhile, plunge into Sunday’s face-off against Lajong with the sole aim of saving some face by avoiding the wooden spoon after a pathetic display resulted in the side being relegated on Saturday with two games in hand.
The embattled home side, which has virtually forgotten how to win after a string of losses and draws, have 12 points after 16 matches while their nearest rivals in the battle to avoid relegation, Churchill Brothers, on Saturday put the issue beyond them by thrashing Chennai City FC 6-1 in a home game and have 20 points with a game yet to play.
Thus even victories in their last two games against Lajong and East Bengal will not save Mumbai from being confined to playing in the lower division next season.
Mumbai has released two of its Brazilian attackers, Anderson Raimundo da Silva and Alex Silva, ahead of their league’s season-ending games.
This is the first time Mumbai have been relegated since their entry in the league.
They had often ended the season at a mid-table position under Khalid Jamil’s reign as coach with their best record being a fifth spot finish in 2015-16.
Don’t want to finish last
This season has been nothing short of disastrous with original coach Santosh Kashyap sacked after a string of poor results and replaced by Spaniard Oscar Bruzon who could not salvage the situation in the limited time available at his disposal.
“We have nothing else except to focus on our final standing. We don’t want to finish last,” said Bruzon on Saturday. (With inputs from PTI)