Mumbai City have got off to their best start in the history of the Indian Super League, picking up seven points from their first three games. What's more heartening for the Mumbai faithful is that this has been possible even though they still don't have all the players on their roster.
If there has been one sure-shot success recipe over the three seasons, it is a question of the adaptability of the new players in the side. The manner in which Alexandre Guimares has gone about with its business has been admirable, and it has come from a change in mindset from Nicolas Anelka's time.
Guimares has built from the back, moving away from going all out in attack. However, he has been forced to make some adjustments following the injury to marquee player Diego Forlan. At the back, there was no compromise, and the team remained compact and stingy despite the loss.
Kerala Blasters, the hosts in this encounter, will yet again have the advantage of playing in front of the biggest crowds in the ISL. However, that has not influenced results on the pitch and the pressure is still on Steve Coppell's side, despite an improved display against Delhi Dynamos in their previous group game.
Even in their first two games, the Blasters created chances going forward but Antionio German, Duckens Nazon, Mohammed Rafique and Michael Chopra in particular have been guilty of not converting promising chances into goals.
Chopra wasted two excellent opportunities against Dynamos. The Blasters have scored only one goal in three games but their fortunes will be a lot different if their forwards start finding the back of the net. Skipper Cedric Hengbart is set to miss this fixture following an injury. History favours Mumbai going into this contest, having never lost to the Blasters in their previous meetings.
Match Facts
Venue: Jawaharlal Nehru International Stadium, Kochi
Capacity: 60,000
Time: 7 pm IST.
Last meeting: Mumbai City FC 1-1 Kerala Blasters, 26th November, 2015, DY Patil Stadium, Navi Mumbai
Head-to-head: Matches played: 4. Mumbai wins: 1, Blasters wins: 0
Key Battles
Matias Defederico vs Sandesh Jhingan: The diminutive Argentinian has been one of the players of the tournament so far, scoring two goals. Though the two players in question won't have a direct face-off with Jhingan being a centre-back and Defederico playing in the hole, the latter will regularly get into goal-scoring positions in the Blasters' box. Jhingan's awareness would have to best in order to win this tussle.
Aiborlang Khongjee vs Antonio German: As a defender, the biggest threat facing Antonio German is that the Englishman might take positions anywhere across the forward line. Tall and gangly, and gifted with a fair amount of pace, German will pose a threat to the Mumbai defence.
This is a litmus test for the attack-minded Khongjee, who can be caught out at the back. German likes to drive his way through the left flank and Khonjee would have to maintain a good balance between defence and attack here or risk getting overrun.
Leo Costa vs Mehtab Hossain: The Brazilian has quietly settled into the Mumbai setup and his linkup with Defederico is a key element in creating chances for his side. In the absence of Forlan, Costa will be playing in advanced positions in attack. This is where a box-to-box midfielder, Hossain, will have to show discipline and keep the Brazilian quiet.
Teams
Mumbai City FC: Roberto Volpato Netto, Aiborlang Khongjee, Gerson Vieira, Lucian Goian, Lalhmangaihsanga Ralte; Krisztián Vadócz, Léo Costa, Boithang Haokip, Sehnaj Singh; Matías Defederico, Sony Norde.
Kerala Blasters FC:
Graham Stack; Pratik Chowdhary, Gurwindwer Singh, Sandesh Jhingan, ElHadji N'Doye; Mohammad Rafique, Azrack Mahamat, Mehtab Hossain, Farukh Choudhary; Michael Chopra, Antonio German.
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