Two years after the infamous walkout by Kerala Blasters, the Sree Kanteerava Stadium will play host to another single-legged Indian Super League (ISL) playoff with Bengaluru FC (BFC) welcoming Mumbai City FC (MCFC) on Saturday.
At stake is a place in the ISL semifinal against FC Goa, and at least on paper, host BFC seems better equipped to bag that.
Forward Jorge Pereyra Diaz is back after a two-month layoff; goalie Gurpreet Singh Sandhu is fresh after not being part of the India set-up against Maldives and Bangladesh, and defender Aleksandar Jovanovic will hope to make his final ISL season before retirement memorable.
Forward Jorge Pereyra Diaz is back after a two-month layoff and is expected to be one of Bengaluru FC’s most dependable attacking options against Mumbai City, his former side.
| Photo Credit:
K. Murali Kumar/The Hindu
Forward Jorge Pereyra Diaz is back after a two-month layoff and is expected to be one of Bengaluru FC’s most dependable attacking options against Mumbai City, his former side.
| Photo Credit:
K. Murali Kumar/The Hindu
The attacking trio of Alberto Noguera, Edgar Mendez and Ryan Williams will hope to work its magic even while talisman Sunil Chhetri will be eager for his 40-year-old body to recover in time after nearly 170 minutes of international football in a week.
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MCFC, on the other hand, is expected to have key personnel out. Defender Tiri is unlikely to play; midfielder Brandon Fernandes got injured against Maldives and Lallianzuala Chhangte missed all of the action in the international window.
Much will depend on striker Nikolaos Karelis, MCFC’s highest goalscorer this season with 10 goals.
However, the fact that Mumbai has won more on the road this season than at home can provide confidence.
Much will depend on striker Nikolaos Karelis, MCFC’s highest goalscorer this season with 10 goals.
| Photo Credit:
FSDL/ISL Media
Much will depend on striker Nikolaos Karelis, MCFC’s highest goalscorer this season with 10 goals.
| Photo Credit:
FSDL/ISL Media
It even beat BFC – albeit a weakened one – in their previous encounter, a 2-0 victory earlier this month that helped Petr Kratky’s men sneak into the playoffs.
But the last time BFC left Kanteerava disappointed after an ISL knockout match was the final against Chennaiyin FC in 2018. To protect this record can be motivation enough.
Content Source: sportstar.thehindu.com