Head-to-head
Kerala Blasters and Mumbai City FC have faced off ten times in total and out of their ten encounters, Mumbai hold a slight edge. Half of their encounters have ended in draws.
Meanwhile, in the other five matches, while Kerala have registered wins in two matches, Mumbai have secured three wins.
Kerala team news:
Kerala generally tend to do well, if they perform well at home. In 2014 and 2016, when they reached the play-offs, they had a strong home record (KBFC lost just one home game in both seasons).
"If you play at home, you have a little bit of advantage," said the Dutchman.
Mumbai have an air of surprise around them, given that they haven't played till now while Kerala Blasters have already given Jorge Costa an opportunity to analyse them. Schattorie felt that while it is an advantage for the visitors, he is not particularly worried.
"The playing style of Mumbai (City) is clear for me. How the positions are filled and which players is always a question mark when you don't see their games. If you already saw your opponent play one time, it makes a difference. (But) it is another challenge that we have to face," he said.
Kerala's defensive duo of Gianni Zuiverloon and Jairo Rodrigues will have their hands full on Thursday.
Kerala do have a bit of a fitness concern after influential midfielder Mario Arques was taken off injured in the last game. He will miss Thursday's match. But the onus will be on star striker Bartholomew Ogbeche, who scored a brace on Sunday, to deliver again.
Mumbai team news:
Mumbai manager Jorge Costa, however, said he saw what he expected from Kerala in their match.
"We studied the team (Kerala Blasters) but it was the first game of the season. It was not a wonderful game, but it was very good. I watched KBFC for the first time but it was not a surprise. I knew the players, I know the coach," Costa said.
Mumbai will look towards the likes of Paulo Machado and Modou Sougou, key figures behind the team's run to the play-offs last season, to drive the team. They have several key Indian midfielders in Rowllin Borges and Raynier Fernandes who will be expected to set the tempo for the team from the middle of the park.
The Islanders will also bank on the firepower they have with new recruits Serge Kevyn and Amine Chermiti boosting their attacking arsenal.
Probable Line-ups:
Kerala Blasters Playing XI: Bilal Khan, Gianni Zuiverloon, Mohammad Rakip, Jairo Rodriguez, Mouhamadou Gning, Jessel Carneiro, Sahal Abddul Samad, Bartholomew Pgbeche, Jeakson Singh, Sergio Cidonsha, Halicharan Narzary
Mumbai City Playing XI: Amrinder Singh, Sarthak Golui, Mato Grgic, Sauvik Chakrabarti, Subhasish Bose, Rowllin Borges, Raynier Fernandes, Serge Kevyn, Amine Chermiti, Modou Sougou, Paulo Machado
Prediction:
While the Mumbai team will look to begin this season's ISL campaign with a win when they travel to Kerala, the hosts will look to make it two wins from two matches and go top of the table. With fifty percent of their previous fixtures ending in ties, the outcome of this match could be a tie as well. But both teams will have their task cut out for the upcoming match on Thursday.
Match info:
Kerala Blasters vs Mumbai City ISL match will kick off at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Kochi on Thursday (Oct. 24) at 7:30pm IST
Live on Star Sports Network
Live Streaming on Hotstar & Jio TV
(With inputs from ISL Media press release)