Kerala Blasters vs Mumbai City: Preview and Prediction
In what is being dubbed as a virtual quarter-final, Kerala Blasters and Mumbai City will clash in the rescheduled ‘Match 62’ of the 2021-22 Indian Super League season at the Tilak Maidan Stadium on Wednesday. A win here will confirm a semi-final berth for the Islanders, whilst the Tuskers must win this game to stay alive in the top four race.
Kerala Blasters have not been at their best recently, but over the course of the season, they have played an impressive brand of football. With 30 points from 18 matches, the Tuskers are occupying the third position in the standings.
Having gathered one point more than their opposition, Mumbai City is placed in the fourth position. While they mathematically will still be in the semi-final race even if they lose this game, the defending champions will be desperate to confirm their place with a victory.
Current Form
Kerala Blasters has had consistency issues over the recent weeks. They have picked up four points from their last three fixtures – winning, losing and drawing one game each. However, Ivan Vukomanovic’s men will be fairly confident coming into this match as they registered a 3-0 triumph against Chennaiyin in their previous match.
It was an extremely crucial win, not only because it kept them in contention for a semi-final place, but also because it brought the Tuskers’ campaign back to the winning ways. Before taking on the Marina Machans, Kerala lost 2-1 against Hyderabad and drew 2-2 against ATK Mohun Bagan.
Mumbai City will also be a confident side coming into this match as besides the top two in Hyderabad and Jamshedpur, they are the only team to win four of their last five matches. Des Buckingham’s team won 2-0 against Goa in their last match.
It was their second consecutive triumph as before facing the Gaurs, the Islanders edged past East Bengal by a 1-0 margin. These two victories have helped the reigning champions reclaim their place in the top four after a 3-2 defeat against Jamshedpur.
Head to Head Record
Mumbai City holds the upper hand in terms of head-to-head records, as they have won six of the fifteen matches against Kerala Blasters, with the Tuskers emerging victorious on only three occasions. Six matches have ended in stalemates.
The first of this season, however, saw Kerala Blasters winning comfortably by a 3-0 margin. Sahal Abdul Samad, Alvaro Vazquez and Jorge Pereyra Diaz were on target for Vukomanovic’s side.
Team News
Sahal Abdul Samad is expected to make a comeback in the Kerala Blasters’ starting XI
While fielding the same starting XI that defeated Chennaiyin by a 3-0 margin seems to be a plausible option, Vukomanovic is expected to make one tweak to his team for the clash against the Islanders.
Vincy Barretto failed to justify his selection in the last match as he did not create a single chance and got only 14 touches of the ball. In his place, Samad could make a comeback in the team.
Buckingham is likely to make a couple of changes to the team that won 2-0 against Goa. The English tactician has stated that midfielder Ahmed Jahouh’s injury is not as bad as he thought initially and the Moroccan is in contention for a starting XI place in this match.
Unless Jahouh fails the pre-match fitness test, he is expected to take up Brad Inman’s place. Besides that, the last match’s goal-scorer Diego Mauricio could also be handed a start at Igor Angulo’s expense.
Predicted Starting Lineups
Kerala Blasters (4-4-2): Prabhsukhan Gill; Harmanjot Singh Khabra, Marko Leskovic, Ruivah Hormipam, Sanjeev Stalin; Sahal Abdul Samad, Puitea, Ayush Adhikari, Adrian Luna; Jorge Pereyra Diaz, Alvaro Vazquez.
Mumbai City (4-2-3-1): Mohamad Nawaz; Rahul Bheke, Mourtada Fall, Mehtab Singh, Vignesh Dakshinamurthy; Ahmed Jahouh, Apuia Ralte; Lallianzuala Chhangte, Cassinho, Bipin Singh; Diego Mauricio.
Prediction
There is hardly anything to separate these two sides as they both have had pretty similar campaigns. However, since they completely outsmarted Mumbai City in their previous meeting, we have predicted a 2-1 scoreline in Kerala Blasters’ favor.