Kerala Blasters vs Mumbai City: Preview and Prediction
Reigning champions Mumbai City will square off against current league leaders Kerala Blasters in ‘Match 62’ of the 2021-22 season of the Indian Super League at the Tilak Maidan Stadium on Sunday.
Since the 2014 season, Kerala Blasters has never looked as intimidating as now. They have lost only one of their 11 matches and are enjoying their stay at the pole position in the league standings, with 20 points to their name.
On the other hand, Mumbai City has struggled to replicate its last season’s dominance and has blown hot and cold this time around. The Highlanders are occupying the fourth position, having accumulated 17 points from 11 matches.
Current Form
The Tuskers are in scintillating form and will come into this match on the back of a 2-0 triumph against Odisha, where Indian full-backs Nishu Kumar and Harmanjot Khabra were on the scoresheet.
It was their second victory in a row, as before facing the Kalinga Warriors, Ivan Vukomanovic’s team handed Hyderabad a 1-0 defeat. The game before that against Goa produced a 2-2 thriller.
On the contrary, Mumbai City’s camp will not be particularly oozing in confidence, as the Islanders are without a win in their last five matches and have picked up only a solitary point from their previous three fixtures.
In their last match, Des Buckingham’s men were handed a 3-0 drubbing by Bengaluru, while the two matches before that saw them securing a 0-0 draw against East Bengal and suffering a 4-2 defeat at the hands of Odisha.
Head to Head Record
The head-to-head records between these two teams are skewed in Mumbai City’s favor as they have won six meetings against Kerala Blasters with the Tuskers emerging victorious on only three occasions, while six matches have ended in stalemates.
The first meeting of this season produced a 3-0 Kerala Blasters triumph, courtesy of goals from Sahal Abdul Samad, Alvaro Vazquez and Jorge Pereyra Diaz. Mumbai’s central defender Mourtada Fall was shown a red card in that match.
Team News
Reynier Fernandes and Igor Angulo could make a comeback in the Mumbai City starting XI
Vukomanovic replaced his injured captain Jessel Carneiro with Nishu in the last match against Odisha and the latter justified his selection with a crucial goal. He is certain to retain his place in a backline that could feature a single change.
Croatian central defender Marko Leskovic missed the last match reportedly because of a minor niggle, but he is expected to be back in the starting XI for this match, replacing Enes Sipovic. Besides that, the Serbian tactician is likely to field an unchanged lineup.
For Mumbai City, Moroccan midfielder Ahmed Jahouh will be available for this match after serving his suspension in the last game against Bengaluru. He is likely to replace Vinit Rai, while to maintain overseas count, Buckingham might need to replace Brad Inman with Raynier Fernandes.
The English head coach is also expected to change his backline that let in three goals against the Blues, with Mohamad Rakip and Vignesh Dakshinamurthy likely to make way for Amey Ranawade and Mandar Rao Dessai respectively. Igor Angulo could also return to the starting XI in Ygor Catatau’s place.
Predicted Starting Lineups
Kerala Blasters (4-4-2): Prabhsukhan Gill; Harmanjot Khabra, Ruivah Hormipam, Marko Leskovic, Nishu Kumar; Sahal Abdul Samad, Jeakson Singh, Puitea, Adrian Luna; Alvaro Vazquez, Jorge Pereyra Diaz.
Mumbai City (4-2-3-1): Phurba Lachenpa; Amey Ranawade, Mourtada Fall, Rahul Bheke, Mandar Rao Dessai; Apuia Ralte, Ahmed Jahouh; Raynier Fernandes, Cassinho, Bipin Singh; Igor Angulo.
Prediction
Kerala Blasters might have looked indomitable recently, but Mumbai City has enough quality players in their ranks to turn their season around in no time. Given that head-to-head records are also favoring them, we have predicted a 2-2 draw for this match.