NORTHEAST FACE MUMBAI CITY, AIM TO BOOST PLAYOFF ODDS

GUWAHATI: NorthEast United FC have put up more than just a decent performance so far and they will be keen to boost their play-off probabilities when they host Mumbai City FC at the Indira Gandhi Athletic Stadium here on Friday.

Only one point separates third-placed NorthEast United and fifth-placed Mumbai City, though the hosts have a game in hand. The Highlanders are heading into the fixture with 11 points from five matches while the visitors have notched 10 points from six games.

NorthEast United have had a good start to the season under Eelco Schattorie. The combination of Bartholomew Ogbeche and Fernando Gallego in NorthEast’s attack will pose a serious challenge for opposition’s defenders.

Ogbeche leads the goalscoring chart alongside FC Goa’s Ferran Corominas, having scored six goals from five matches. Gallego is top of the assist chart with four assists from five games.

After a 5-0 hammering at the hands of FC Goa, Mumbai have fought back into contention with back-to-back wins against Delhi Dynamos and Chennaiyin FC.

AIZAWL DRAW

AIZAWL: The second northeast derby of the I-League between Aizawl FC and NEROCA FC ended in a goalless draw here on Wednesday.

Both teams had their chances in a game in which hosts Aizawl had a slightly better of exchanges, but a goal eluded them throughout the 90 minutes.

Both Aizawl and NEROCA have two points from three games and remain on the bottom rungs of the standings.

The second half saw end-to-end football and was clearly more entertaining but both teams couldn’t manage to open their account.