ISL 2018-19: Kerala Blasters vs Mumbai City FC - 3 key player battles

#1 Paulo Machado vs Nikola Krcmarevic

Paulo Machado in action against Jamshedpur FC [Credits: ISL]

The outcome of the match will heavily rely upon the how the duel between the new recruits in both sides churn out.

On paper, Paulo Machado simply overpowers his Serbian counterpart. The 32-year-old Portuguese international is a product of the famed FC Porto academy.

The midfielder brings to the table the experience playing with the best in the Champions League as well as with European names like Toulouse, Olympiakos and St Etienne as well as representing his nation 6 times.

Good in the dead ball situation along with the ability to score from them makes him an asset to any team. A player who loves to do layoffs Machado has the vision to pick out make key passes. Along with these attributes, the 32-year-old possesses a powerful and accurate shot.

A much more unknown entity compared to his counterpart. Krcmarevic possesses an ability to stop attacks in their infancy.

He may not have made the headlines in his debut match against ATK but the Serbian was, in fact, one of the better performers that day with his calmness on the ball and his ability to pick out the right passes being a major attraction.