ISL 2018-19: Mumbai City vs Bengaluru FC- Preview and prediction
What's the story
Tomorrow, the two best-performing teams of this season's Indian Super League come together in what should be a thrilling tie. Mumbai City, second on the league table with 24 points from 12 matches, will play host to the table-toppers Bengaluru FC, which have collected 27 points and have a match in hand. Which team will come out on top? Here's our detailed match preview.
Mumbai City
How are the hosts preparing for the encounter?
Mumbai have been quite consistent this term, winning their last match with a scoreline of 6-1 against Kerala Blasters. Mumbai have made their only purchase during the season break in the form of Sanjay Balmuchu, to replace the center-back Joyner Lourenco. Mumbai have, however, lost their left-back Shouvik Ghosh, who has made a switch to NorthEast United.
Bengaluru FC
Are Bengaluru FC ready to take on Mumbai?
Bengaluru have not lost a single match in the current season of ISL. Unlike all other ISL sides, Bengaluru FC are the only one to not sell or buy any new player during the season break. Bengaluru will not be able to field their striker Miku tomorrow, along with defender Nishu Kumar, as both are suffering from injuries.
Key players
Who will be the key players in the match?
Modou Sougou has scored nine goals this season and will be the trump card of Mumbai. Arnold Issoko has also been a vital player for them, with five assists, this season. Their striker Rafael Bastos, mid-fielders Raynier Fernandes, and Paulo Machado have also been quite effective. Bengaluru have a host of talents in their ranks like Gurpreet Singh Sandhu, Sunil Chhetri, and Udanta Singh.
Predicted line-up
Predicted line-up and TV listing
Mumbai City: Singh, Chakrabarti, Goian, Lourenco, Bose, Issoko, Fernandes, M Singh, Machado, Sougou, Bastos. Bengaluru FC: Sandhu, Bheke, Serran, Juanan, Khabra, Paartalu, Delgado, Hernandez, Singh, Chhetri, Lewis. The match is scheduled to kick-off at 7:30 PM and will be telecast on the Star Sports network, and can also be live-streamed on Hotstar or Jio TV.
Prediction
How can the match turn out tomorrow?
Tomorrow, the ISL will witness a collision of some of the major talents in Indian football. While it is really difficult to predict who would come out as the winner, Mumbai will definitely have an advantage as the match will be held at their home. However, Bengaluru are the last to give in easily. Thus, the scoreline can lead 2-1 in Bengaluru's favor.