Indian Football League

Match 35: MCFC vs. KBFC

Preview

Mumbai has been like a fine wine. They have the perfect combination and everyone is contributing their bit in order to win matches so easily. Kerala, on the other hand, has struggled a bit but a win could help them really well. It is of course going to be a tough night for the Blasters as Mumbai will not give any space for them to capitalize. The Islanders have won four consecutive games and are at the top of the table while Kerala shared a point on three occasions and managed a win in their last four fixtures.

Mumbai has been very strong when it comes to set-pieces. They have scored the most number of goals from the set pieces and the credit goes to the likes of Mourtada Fall, Igor Angulo for the clinical finish. Fall has been rock solid for them in the defense as well. It is not easy to score against them and again, Kerala might find it very difficult to get a goal. Ahmed Jahouh has been brilliant for Mumbai this season. He already has five assists to his name that is the most by any player and also is the second best player in the tournament when it comes to most chances created.

Des Buckingham in the pre match press conference was very happy with the performance of his team so far. He said, “My assessment is that it’s been a good start, that’s it. We’re only six games into a 20-game season, so it’s important that we get better with each game. We’ve spoken about taking this plan since the end of last year and I think we’ve shown enough signs now that we’ve started to do that. We need to make sure that in every game, you know, we're going to come up against different challenges, so we need to make sure that we've got different answers and different ways of winning games”.

Speaking about their match against Kerala, the manager said, “They’re a particularly good team. They press high, and I actually had the pleasure of working with one of their players - Adrian Luna who’s had a fantastic start to their season and is very influential in their game play. I look forward to connecting with him tomorrow and [jokingly] hope he doesn’t play as well as he’s done in the previous games. But again, it's the same as any other team. You know, we'll prepare as well as we can for what we’re going to face, because if we don't, any team in this league is capable of beating any team. So, we need to make sure that we approach this game in the same way as we have for the previous six [games].

Coach Des Buckingham is right when he spoke about Adrian Luna. He has been absolutely fantastic for his team and is one of the reasons why Kerala are not falling behind. There will be a lot of expectations on him and he will have the responsibility to beat the likes of Mourtada Fall, Amey Ranawade and others. Defensively, the team needs to improve as well. Mumbai attacks really well and that’s what they do. That is their natural game. If Kerala manages to cut their supply line and keep Jahouh quiet, a lot of problems can be solved. However, Mumbai has way too many players who can create a difference. Thus, Kerala needs to be in their absolutely best.

Speaking about Mumbai, coach Ivan said, “First of all congratulations to them. They are top of the league. But in our perspective every game is tough. It doesn’t matter if you play a team which is at the top of the table or bottom. We have to fight in every game. Of course, we are expecting a tough duel tomorrow. I actually like to play these kinds of games because as a player you become better and improve more”.

Speaking about Sahal Abdul Samad and his responsibilities, the coach said, “From a coaching standpoint, during a game I would never tell my players what to do when they have the ball. Because it happens all very quick. In training, we provide the players with passing options which he could potentially take. When it comes to the game, there are a lot of things affecting their decision making. Sahal is a quality player. He is improving but there’s more scope not only for him but for everyone”.

MCFC vs. KBFC Predicted Line Ups

MCFC - Mohammad Nawaz (GK), Amey Ranawade, Mourtada Fall (c), Rahul Bheke, Mandar Dessai, Lalengmawia, Ahmed Jahouh, Vikram Paratap Singh, Cassio Gabriel, Bipin Singh, Igor Angulo

KBFC – Prabhsukhan Gill (GK), Enes Sipovic, Sandeep Singh, Jessel Carneiro, Marko Leskovic, Lalthathanga Khawlhring, Sahal Samad, Adrian Luna, Prasanth Karuthadathkuni, Jeakson Singh, Alvaro Vazquez

Match Prediction

Mumbai should win the match given the kind of players they have and the kind of form they are in. Kerala needs to stabilize their defense and depend on counter attack in order to put some pressure. Some pace will really help them.

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