There is something about Kerala Blasters this season that makes them appear confident across all grounds in the Indian Super League. Be it Guwahati, Bhubaneswar or Kolkata, Mikael Stahre's side hardly appeared the away side. In fact, they are unbeaten in their travels so far, winning once and drawing the other two.
It wasn't surprising then to find Stahre sound cocky ahead of his side's trip to Mumbai City, a venue that has seen the Blasters suffer a handful of heavy losses. Across eight seasons, the Blasters have conceded 20 goals and scored just five at the Mumbai Football Arena. Once, they lost 6-1; on another occasion, it was 5-0. Two seasons ago, it was a 4-0 defeat.
When a journalist reminded Stahre that the Blasters only ever won a game in Mumbai, which was 1-0 in 2018-19, he countered-quizzed about the playing XI back then. Stahre was almost sure the young journalist would struggle to name the players from six seasons ago. He was making a point that past results did not matter to the current crop of players he has been managing since the start of this season. "In general, we are playing well," Stahre said. "I think the fans also see that we are making progress and playing good football," said the Swede.
Last week, the Blasters suffered a 1-3 home defeat to league leaders Bengaluru FC, their first game without the incredible Noah Sadaoui, who was absent due to fitness issues. Yet the Blasters were brilliant for the most part and became the first team to score a goal against Bengaluru this season. Stahre was furious about the individual mistakes that cost his side the match. But in hindsight, the defeat seems to have been a shot in the arm for the Manjappada. "This group is really good at bouncing back. The reaction (to the BFC defeat) was absolutely brilliant. The (Thursday's) training was so far the best since I took over ... everyone wants to win. To reset and go on," Stahre said.
Team News
Stahre was tight-lipped about the availability of players. The Blasters fans would be desperate to see their leading goal-scorer (4) Noah Sadaoui return to action. He was pictured in the stands in Kochi during the Bengaluru game. Kwame Peprah is most likely to continue up front alongside Jesus Jimenez. Stahre confirmed that goalkeeper Sachin Suresh will miss out as he lacks match fitness, which means Som Kumar will continue with the goal. The 19-year-old was one of the players who made a costly error that led to a goal in the BFC game.
Mumbai not the same
In the past, the Blasters have often encountered a difficult Mumbai. Now, they are placed one step below them in the ninth position. With one game in hand, Petr Kratky's Mumbai have six points from five rounds, including three draws and one win. The match will kickoff at 7.30 pm and will be live on JioCinema.
