Mumbai City were stunned after conceding twice in opening 10 minutes against a NorthEast United side who came off the back of twin 2-1 wins over Jamshedpur FC and ATK Mohun Bagan. The Islanders, unfazed by the early setback piled on attack after attack until the very end and scored the only consolation of the night late in the game through Adam Le Fondre, going down 2-1 to Khalid Jamil’s revitalised Highlanders’ unit.
Kerala Blasters have had a mixed bag of a campaign so far but still remain very much in contention for a semifinal spot with six games to go in the league stage. Kibu Vicuña’s side has seen a sharp improvement in their performance over the last few fixtures and showed great value for it when the Blasters took a 2-0 lead over ATK Mohun Bagan in their previous fixture. But the Blasters fell to a strengthened Mariners contingent, squandering their lead to fall to a 3-2 defeat.
With sights firmly set on getting back to winning ways for Mumbai City, Sergio Lobera is confident of his players showing their character and ambition on the pitch and bouncing back against a strong Kerala Blasters’ side.
Team News
Rowllin Borges is back from suspension but Ahmed Jahouh misses out after collecting his fourth caution.
Who Said What
Sergio Lobera: They (Kerala Blasters) have improved a lot since the start of the season. The first half of their last game is the perfect example. It’s going to be a difficult game against a good team who play good football and have good players.
Adam Le Fondre: We’re not worried. The only way to respond now is to move forward to the next game and get the result to rectify the last one.
Where To Watch It
The game will kick off at 7.30pm IST and will be broadcast on the Star Sports Network, Disney+ Hotstar and Jio TV for all viewers in India. For our global fans, you can find your local broadcaster here or follow all the action LIVE on our official Twitter account - @MumbaiCityFC.
League Watch
Results:
31 Jan: Hyderabad FC 2-0 Chennaiyin FC (Sandaza 28’, Chianese 83’)
31 Jan: ATK Mohun Bagan 3-2 Kerala Blasters (Marcelinho 59’, Krishna 65’ P, 87’; Hooper 14’, Costa 51’)
1 Feb: Odisha FC 0-1 Jamshedpur FC (Mobashir 41’)
Fixtures coming up:
2 Feb: SC East Bengal vs Bengaluru FC (Tilak Maidan; 7.30pm)
3 Feb: Kerala Blasters vs Mumbai City (GMC Bambolim; 7.30pm)
4 Feb: NorthEast United vs FC Goa (Tilak Maidan, 7.30pm)
