With two victories in as many games, Kerala Blasters FC will undertake an exciting challenge when they face Mumbai City FC at the Mumbai Football Arena on October 8, Sunday. The Blasters have garnered six points in their two home fixtures so far but Des Buckingham and his men guarantee an engaging contest on their home turf. Mumbai won their opening game of the season against NorthEast United FC and followed it up with a 2-2 draw against Odisha FC in Bhubaneswar in the second matchweek.
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What’s at stake?
Mumbai City FC
Buckingham will be pleased with his team’s comeback in their last ISL match. However, he will be equally disappointed at dropping points too. This game hands him the ideal opportunity to bounce back to winning ways with the resounding support of the West Coast Brigade (WCB) behind his team.
Kerala Blasters FC
The Blasters have ticked all boxes in this campaign and an away win against the Islanders will give them the ideal push to take their season to greater heights. Adrian Luna has been at the forefront of their success so far and the Uruguayan will be eager to be the point of difference in this difficult game on the road.
Key Players
Lallianzuala Chhangte (Mumbai City FC)
Lallianzuala Chhangte was a pertinent goal-scoring threat from Mumbai’s unit last season. He has not struck in the two matches until now but will be eager to find the back of the net in front of the team’s home crowd on Sunday.
Pritam Kotal (Kerala Blasters FC)
Pritam Kotal has slotted easily into the Kerala Blasters FC backline with six clearances, two interceptions, a couple of tackles, and 77% passing accuracy in 180 minutes until now. He will have to lead the defensive unit to retort to Mumbai’s dynamic offensive moves in the upcoming match.
Head-to-Head
Played – 18
Mumbai City FC – 8
Kerala Blasters FC – 4
Draws – 6
Trivia: Mehtab Singh and Jorge Pereyra Diaz had scored once each when Mumbai City FC beat Kerala Blasters FC by 2-0 in the last faceoff between the two teams at this venue.
Team Talk
“The mood is good. We are four games, including two Champions League and ISL games in the season. These are two very different competitions for many reasons. We have got a big travel week. But, we have got everyone fit and fresh. Everyone is available for tomorrow. The mood is good. We have had two tough away games in NorthEast and Odisha, but we have come back with four points out of six. We are very much of getting back out at the Mumbai Football Arena and playing in front of our home fans,” Mumbai City FC head coach Buckingham said in the pre-match press conference.
“As usual, I think when you play the champions of last year, it’s always difficult. We have started the competition well. We have six points out of six, so we have the confidence. I hope we are going to play a good game. We have the same squad as the last weekend, except (Ishan) Pandita and Saurav (Mandal), who are not fit,” Kerala Blasters FC assistant coach Frank Dauwen looked ahead at the match against Mumbai and provided an injury update for his team.
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