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The ISL action on Thursday night sees the first reverse fixture of the season as the Kerala Blasters visit the Mumbai Football Arena to take on Mumbai City FC, with both sides desperate for a win, to re-ignite their respective seasons.
Since winning their respective opening games, both Mumbai and Kerala have gone on a five-match winless run, which sees them lying in 7th and 8th position on the table, respectively.
The injuries to both sides haven't helped their cause, with both Jorge Costa and Eelco Schattorie still not having their full quota of foreigners to choose from.
Mumbai City FC v Kerala Blasters FC: Match Information
Date: 5th December 2019
Kickoff: 7:30 PM IST
Trending
Live Stream: Star Sports Network and Hotstar
Venue: Mumbai Football Arena
Mumbai City FC v Kerala Blasters FC: Team News
Jorge Costa is unlikely to twist too much from the team that drew 2-2 against ATK in their last game. Amine Chermiti and Modou Sougou are just beginning to strike up an understanding, and with the likes of Mohammed Larbi and Serge Kevyn popping up with important contributions, there is enough reason for Costa to be optimistic about the tide turning in favour of his side.
For Schattorie, a few tough calls await. His captain and talisman Bartholomew Ogbeche has fired blanks in five games on the bounce now, and Kerala are also not getting enough from their big man, in the overall gameplay. Their crossing has also been dire, not playing to the big man's strengths, which has been a huge hindrance.
Schattorie, though, is unlikely to take any drastic measures on the Ogbeche front, with the only possible changes coming on the flanks, with either Rahul KP or Halicharan Narzary possibly getting a start.
Mumbai City FC v Kerala Blasters FC: Probable Lineups
Mumbai City FC: Amrinder Singh, Souvik Chakrabarti, Sarthak Golui, Pratik Chaudhuri, Subhasish Bose, Rowllin Borges, Paulo Machado, Mohammed Larbi, Diego Carlos, Modou Sougou, Amine Chermiti
Kerala Blasters FC: TP Rehenesh, Mohammad Rakip, Vlatko Drobarov, Raju Gaikwad, Jessel Carneiro, Jeakson Singh, Sergio Cidoncha, Sahal Abdul Samad, Prasanth Karuthadathkuni, Raphael Messi Bouli, Bartholomew Ogbeche
Mumbai City FC v Kerala Blasters FC: ISL Form Guide
Mumbai City FC: D-D-L-L-D
Kerala Blasters FC: D-L-D-L-L
Mumbai City FC v Kerala Blasters FC Head-to-Head
This has been a draw-happy ISL fixture, with five stalemates in the 11 occasions the teams have faced each other. In the reverse fixture earlier this season, a Chermiti goal was enough to give Mumbai the win, which was ensured by an almost impossible Amrinder Singh save in stoppage time.
Mumbai City FC wins: 4
Kerala Blasters wins: 2
Draws: 5
Mumbai City FC v Kerala Blasters FC Prediction
There is not much to choose between the two sides, and both are not particularly high on confidence. Hence, our prediction is another ISL stalemate, the sixth in 12 games between the two sides.
Prediction: Mumbai City FC 1-1 Kerala Blasters FC
