Hosts Mumbai FC would be eager to end their season with a win over Kalyani Bharat FC here tomorrow to ensure safety and secure their best-ever finish in the final round match of the I-League football tournament at the Cooperage ground.
Khalid Jamil's team has endured an up and down season. They were a bit slow off the blocks but saw an upswing in their fortunes after they returned to their home ground, Cooperage, where they were playing after a gap of three years.
After a decent mid-phase, they drew five in a row that put them in relegation battle with the Goan clubs but a crucial win in their previous game against East Bengal has boosted their chances of survival.
With four wins, nine draws and six defeats, Mumbai have accumulated 21 points, the same as Salgaocar but are placed sixth due to a better goal difference.
"It's been a great season so far. There have been ups and downs, but we are still in a very good position to clinch our best-ever finish. A sixth-place finish would be the best in the history of the club," Jamil said ahead of the game against the league's Pune-based debutants.
"We are out of danger, but not entirely, but that (2-1) victory over East Bengal went a long way in taking us back up the table. It's a tightly-contested league and everything is so close between teams at the top and the bottom," Jamil said.
"Dempo are in the greatest danger so far, but I think we should be confirmed as safe. The fight is to stay up right now, but having said that, you shouldn't forget that if we can hold to sixth, it will be the club's highest finish," he added.
Mumbai had beaten Bharat 2-0 when the two sides met earlier this season, with Josimar da Silva and Sampath Kuttymani scoring for Mumbai.
Bharat FC coach Stuart Watkiss will be banking on his seasoned players to deliver and help them end their season on a positive note.
They are at the bottom of the 11-team table with 18 points. However, they cannot be relegated for the first three as per the rules.
