KOCHI: Kerala blasters FC faces arguably the toughest match of their season so far when they take on league leaders Mumbai City FC at the PJN Stadium in Fatorda on Sunday. Blasters go into the game against Des Buckingham’s men having won just once in five outings. This leaves them eighth in the table as they go up against the defending champions who have lost just once this season and have looked superior to all other teams in the league.
Mumbai is on a four-match winning streak and they will start the game as the overwhelming favourites against a side who have flattered to deceive with their performances. Blasters are also expected to be without key players like Rahul KP and Albino Gomes which makes the challenge even tougher. However, Blasters head coach Ivan Vukomanovic has been upbeat about the task at hand.
“This is the type of game you want to play and look forward to,” said Vukomanovic during the pre-match press conference on Saturday. “Everyone is trying to stay positive and be consistent. We want to fight in every game and for every point, “ he added. Stopping Mumbai or getting even a point against them is easier said than done. In their previous game against Chennaiyin, it looked as if the southern side managed to keep the Islanders at bay with an ultra-defensive approach.
Despite forming huge banks of defensive lines, Mumbai still managed to find a breakthrough with relentless pressure and while the likes of Igor Angulo and Cassio didn’t get on the scoresheet, it was defender Rahul Bheke who helped them earn all three points.
“We have had a good start to the season but that is what it is. It is a 20 game season and we need to get better in every game. We need to have answers to different challenges,” said Mumbai head coach Buckingham. Mumbai is expected to dominate possession and test the Blasters backline and if their first choice goalkeeper Albino is not available for the game, it will be a long night for the young Prabsukhan Gill.
While Mumbai has an abundance of attacking talent, Blasters would hope that their star man Adrian Luna could offer something special in their bid to stop the Mumbai juggernaut which is showing no signs of stopping at the moment. As for Mumbai, Ahmed Jahouh would be the orchestrator in chief as Mumbai go looking to consolidate their position at the top of the table.