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Mumbai City FC kick off the 2019-20 season of the ISL tomorrow on the road against Kerala Blasters at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium here in Kochi at 7.30pm.
The Islanders endured what was a long, toiling, yet fruitful pre-season for Jorge Costa’s troops, and come into this new season with a certain sense of optimism. While there have been some notable departures in the summer, Jorge Costa has assembled a new-look squad with more than a few fresh faces.
The ambitions are to have a season better than the last one but the first step towards that for Jorge Costa will be to avoid a similar start to last season. With the trip to Kochi being the first of two back-to-back away games, Kerala Blasters will pose a great test for the Islanders to overcome last season’s blues.
The Kerala Blasters have played, and won, their first game against ATK 2-1 on the opening day of the league, they come in to tomorrow’s fixture with league minutes under their belt. The Blasters underwent a massive overhaul in the summer with a new board, a new head coach and a host of new players now a part of the club.
Head coach Eelco Schattorie, who led NorthEast United FC to their first semifinal appearance in five year, made the sensational switch to the backwaters of Kochi. Moving with him is his talsmanic striker Bart Ogbeche. The forward has been given captaincy duties by the Dutch head coach and grabbed a brace in the opening day win. Talk about hitting the ground running.
Not just Ogbeche, but the Blasters have made some impressive additions over the summer and are sure to be a strong contender for a top-4 finish in the ISL table.
The Islanders have 10 new summer signings in their travelling squad of 20 players. New incomings like Rowllin Borges, Kevyn Angoué and Surchandra Singh among others are in line for their club debuts tomorrow.
Despite a win against ATK in their opening game, injury woes continue to be a headache for Eelco Schattorie and Kerala Blasters. Sandesh Jhingan’s knee injury in pre-season means he could be out for the ISL-6 season. He’s joined in the treatment room by new signing Mario Arques and T.P. Rehenesh. Rising star Sahal Abdul Samad is in line for a start on Thursday after featuring as a late substitute in their opening fixture.
