The Islanders gained a point
off their first game of 2018 in an end-to-end affair away to ISL debutants
Jamshedpur FC at the JRD Tata Sports Complex. Alexandre Guimaraes’ men put up a
spirited show featuring a brace from Thiago Santos on the either side of two
goals from Jamshedpur FC’s Izu Azuka.
The fans will be hoping for all
three points at the Mumbai Football Arena, as Mumbai City FC welcome Kerala
Blasters FC for our first home game of the year. The Islanders, currently in 5th
place, will be looking for a positive result to put more pressure on the teams battling
for the playoff spots.
Kerala Blasters FC will be
buzzing with confidence following a resounding 3-1 away victory over Delhi
Dynamos FC which saw Iain Hume scoring his first hat-trick, and his first
goals, of the season. Newly-appointed head coach David James got his first
victory of the campaign after the Englishman took over from Rene Meulensteen.
Where to watch it:
The game will kick off at 8pm
IST and will be broadcast on the Star Sports Network, Hotstar and Jio TV for
all viewers in India. For our global fans, you can find your broadcaster here. You can also follow live action on our official Twitter account -
@MumbaiCityFC.
Team News:
Sehnaj
Singh will miss out on the action tomorrow, completing his two-match ban
following the red card against Delhi Dynamos. Defender Raju Gaikwad will face a
late fitness test after he pulled his hamstring against Jamshedpur FC.
The
Kerala Blasters’ attack will be boosted by the return of CK Vineeth who trained
ahead of the game. Dimitar Berbatov and Pritam Kumar will miss out due to
injuries.
History:
Mumbai City FC will be looking
forward to a second successive home victory against Kerala Blasters FC. Last
season saw the Islanders thrashing them 5-0 with then Marquee player and club
icon, Diego Forlan scoring a fantastic hat-trick!
The two teams drew 1-1 earlier
this season when they played on December 3, 2017 when Balwant Singh scored a
late equalizer after Mark Sifneos had put the Blasters ahead.
Overall, Mumbai City FC edge
the Blasters head to head with 2 wins to 1 and drawing on 4 occasions.
League Watch:
It
was a mixed week for NorthEast United FC – after losing four games on the trot,
the Highlanders snatched a surprise 2-1 win over high-flying FC Goa. They
couldn’t keep the winning momentum going as they succumbed to a home loss
against a rejuvenated ATK side.
The
Kolkata side, too, couldn’t keep up the winning form, losing 1-0 to current
table toppers Bengaluru FC. After a dismal start to the season, ATK now find
themselves 6th on the points table. Following their loss against
NorthEast United, FC Goa returned to winning ways in debatable circumstances
against Jamshedpur FC and now sit in 4th place.
Delhi
Dynamos snatched a point with a late equalizer against second-placed Chennaiyin
FC. It was a welcome boost for Miguel Angel Portugal’s men after six straight
losses. They too faltered in their following game after going down 3-1 to
Kerala Blasters at home, courtesy of an Iain Hume hat-trick.
The
other fixtures of the week are:
Saturday,
13th January
Chennaiyin
FC vs FC Pune City (Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, 8pm)
Sunday,
14th January
Delhi
Dynamos FC vs Bengaluru FC (Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, 5.30pm)
