Mumbai FC ready for Churchill challenge

PUNE: Mumbai FC will bank on their fantastic home record as they eye the chance to go fifth on the table when they take on league leaders Churchill Brothers in an I-League game at the Balewadi Stadium, in Pune, on Thursday.
Coming from a 2-1 defeat of big-spending Prayag United, Khalid Jamil's will climb a spot above the Kolkata team should they manage to shock a rampant Churchill side.
The Goan club has been on a roll and is the only team on the table to have an 'all win' record in the last five rounds. They underlined their title aspirations with a thumping 3-0 win over East Bengal away where Henri Antchouet turned up with a brace and Akram Moghrabi the last goal. In fact, Antchouet, Moghrabi and midfielder Beto have as many as 29 goals between them and the Mumbai FC defence would do well to build a plan around the statistic.
"Churchill won't be short on any confidence given the way they have beaten East Bengal in Kolkata. We're sure they will be coming all guns blazing at us and we are prepared. We are trying to close the gap on the table as much as possible," said Henry Picardo, Mumbai FC manager.
While Mumbai FC have a fully fit team to choose from, Churchill have been hit with a slew of injuries. Bineesh Balan (hamstring), Tomba Singh (knee) and Denzil Franco (calf) will be missing in action.