Eelco Schattorie’s Kerala take on Jorge Costa’s Mumbai at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Match 5 of the India Soccer League on Thursday. Kerala tasted victory in the opener against Kolkata & this will be Mumbai’s first game this season.
The home team will be looking to get their second victory to make it a dream start. Kerala generally tend to do well when they have a good home record. And the support is ever present. Star man Ogbeche showed in the opening game just how good he is. And once again the team will be looking upto him to provide the ammunition.
Mumbai reached the playoffs last season after finishing third in the table. They were a formidable outfit under the Portuguese. More of the same will be expected from them this time round. Machado & Sougou once again will be the driving force for them with Amrinder providing the much-needed safety at the back.
Its going to be the battle of the strikers as both Ogbeche & Sougou finished level in the top scorers’ charts last season. Who does better on the night might decide which way this tie goes. One thing is for sure, the game between these always tend to entertain. And this time it will be no different.
Predicted Line-ups –
Kerala Blasters FC: Bilal Khan, Mohammad Rakip, Gianni Zuiverloon, Jairo Rodriguez, Jessel Carneiro, Moustapha Gning, Sahal Abdul Samad, Sergio Cidoncha, Prasanth Karuthadathkuni, Halicharan Narzary, Bartholomew Ogbeche
Mumbai City FC: Amrinder Singh, Sauvik Chakrabarti, Sarthak Golui, Mato Grgic, Subhasish Bose, Rowllin Borges, Raynier Fernandes, Paulo Machado, Mohamed Larbi, Amine Chermiti, Modou Sougou
Sportsguru Prediction –
It will be a closely fought contest with two very competitive teams going at it. We predict an entertaining game with a 1-1 scoreline.
