'Hoping Ljunberg will be fit for ISL opener'

Mumbai City FC coach Peter Reid is hopeful his 'marquee' player, former Sweden and Arsenal star Fredrik Ljungberg will be fit to face Atletico de Kolkata in the opening match of the inaugural Indian Super League (ISL) in Kolkata Oct 12.

One of the biggest names of the football tournament, Ljungberg is carrying a niggle he suffered during practice.

"Hopefully, Freddie will get to play his part in the game. This is the start of the competition and so it is a massive game. It is a big opportunity to play here and hopefully we will come up with the right result," Reid said Friday.

He also named Syed Rahim Nabi as the captain of the team.

"From the couple of weeks I have worked with the team, I have found him a natural leader, good communicator and a bubbly character within the dressing room. I think Nabi has great experience and knowledge of the game. Manuel Friedrich would be the vice-captain," the Englishman said.

Mumbai City FC won all their four warm-up games in the build-up to the tournament.

Nabi hopes that the team would get good support from the Kolkata crowd as some players have played in the city for a long time.

"This is the first game and hence will be massive for all of us. We expect a good support for our team. We hope to get a positive result," said Nabi.

The team, boasting the likes of Ljungberg, former German international Manuel Friedrich and French star Nicolas Anelka, is co-owned by Bollywood star Ranbir Kapoor and Bimal Parekh.

--Indo-Asian news Service

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