Al-Kerala Blasters face Mumbai City in their first home fixture of the season on 25th October 2026, at the JLN Stadium Kochi. The Blasters are trying to regroup after their 2nd-ever defeat in the Ashley Westwood era, while the Islanders are looking for their first win under new head coach Manolo Marquez.
Read more about the upcoming fixture in our match preview below:
Al-Kerala Blasters
The first season of the Kerala Blasters under the new ownership started with an auspicious 2-0 win over Inter Kashi, but the very next was nothing short of a disaster. The Blasters’ trip to Guwahati saw them concede 4 times against the Highlanders, with most of them resulting from individual errors.
The Blasters also failed to match the performance of their opponents as Northeast outplayed the Blasters at every stage of the game, overwhelming the Blasters with their quick counters and nearly keeping a clean sheet thanks to their organized team defending, and would’ve kept the clean sheet if not for a moment of brilliance from Momo.
Ashley Westwood did acknowledge his team’s shortcomings in the post-match PC but how much this result would affect the overall structure of the team is yet to be seen.
The Blasters looked incredibly weak against Northeast’s wing-based attacks, which would be a key point to be looked upon before the Mumbai test, as Mumbai is yet another side with strong wingers incl. the likes of Noufal and Hridaya in their ranks.
The team also didn’t look very settled in the midfield against the Highlanders, another point to be looked upon before they face the Islanders’ midfield marshalled by yesteryear Kashi midfielder Sergio Llamas.
Manolo’s Mumbai
Manolo’s Mumbai saga hasn’t been off to a great start. The Islanders began their season with a shock defeat to Churchill Brothers of all teams, but still gained some goodwill with their 1-1 draw against a competitive Punjab side in their last fixture.
Much like the Blasters, the Islanders are yet to play at home, and this is their third consecutive away game before returning to familiar soil against Delhi on November 1.
Coming into their concerns, their primary concern will be their lack of open play goals. The Islanders have found the back of the net twice this campaign, but with both being penalties rather than from open play, which is in complete opposition to their next opponents, who’ve scored all of their 3 goals from open play but have yet to score from a set-piece scenario.
Defending crosses is also a peculiar concern for the quasi-citizens as they’ve conceded two of their three goals via headers, incl. the late Punjab equalizer in their last fixture. While Ashley Westwood’s side is yet to capitalize on a set-piece, it’s well known that his sides see set-pieces as goal-scoring opportunities, and their well-trained set-piece routines could become fruitful here, which is a scenario that Mumbai should work to avoid.
Team News:
Both the sides are expected to have two absences each. The Blasters will be without the services of Bikash Yumnam and Chhunga Hmar while the Islanders will be missing the services of Vikram Pratap Singh and Wilmar Jordan Gil, both of whom suffered injuries during the clash against Punjab FC.
Head-to-Head Record:
The Blasters had lost to the Islanders in their previous outing on the same pitch last season and will be looking to settle the score now but historically the Islanders won their first away game at Kochi in 2019, thanks to an 82′ strike from former Tunisian forward, Amine Chermiti, and has followed it up with 2 Wins and 2 Losses, with both sides alternatively winning by the same margins in consecutive fixtures since 2022.
All time H2H record:
- Total Matches Played (ISL): 24
- KBFC Wins: 6
- Draws: 6
- MCFC Wins: 12
Predicted Lineups:
Kerala Blasters FC (4-4-2): Arsh Anwar Sheikh; Sumit Sharma, Aiban Dohling, James Bolton, Hormipam Ruivah; Andre Green, Vibin Mohanan (C), Freddy Lallawmawma, Korou Singh; Momo Yansane, Adrián Luna.
Mumbai City FC (4-4-2): TP Rehnesh; Akash Mishra (C), Carlos Delgado, Lazar Ćirković, Valpuia; Hridaya Jain, Sergio Llamas, Zothanpuia, Noufal; Brandon Fernandes, Leandro Otormín
Key Matchups:
Akash Mishra vs Korou Singh
Akash Mishra is a key player for the Islanders. His runs down the flank are a genuine source of concern for any opposition, and his defensive acumen on top of that makes him one of the most desired left backs in the country. The 24 y/o fullback has also been captaining the Mumbai side this season and would be looking to build upon his good performance from the previous game vs Punjab, and this is where Korou steps in.
The 19 y/o young winger has had a good start to the season with an assist in his first game and an impressive outing as a sub in the 2nd half of the Blasters’ previous game, and would also be looking forward to building upon his good performance till now and try to get a goal in the process.
The Blasters’ no. 7’s performance could have a key say on the match result, as how long the winger can keep Akash Mishra on his toes could weaken both the defensive and offensive aspects of Mumbai City.
Adrián Luna vs Sergio Llamas
While the Uruguayan maestro might be getting old, he’s still got a few tricks up his sleeve. The all-in-one of the Blasters provided the crucial backheel flick that assisted Momo Yansane’s low screamer and nearly helped the Blasters equalize in the first half with his edged crossing in the 37th minute, but the wide open net was unfathomably missed by the onrushing attacker.
His attacking awareness and ability to link-up play are still a major threat, which would warrant the lockdown attempts on the playmaker by the opposition midfield, here marshalled by Sergio Llamas.
While the Vitoria-Gasteiz-born midfielder cannot boast the same experience as the Uruguayan in the Indian first division, he has made a name for himself in the domestic circuit with his outstanding performances for Inter Kashi in their ISL debut season, which resulted in his arrival at Mumbai ahead of the 26/27 ISL season.
The midfielder has had two solid performances for the Islanders in his first two games for the club and would be looking forward to continuing that good run of his as he faces the aging maestro (Just checked, they’re only one year apart in age 🫠).
Will the magician recreate his magic spell in Kochi, or will Llamas walk away undefeated at the Blasters’ fortress forms the crux of this tale as these key heartthrobs of opposing midfields are set to battle it out on the 25th.
Momo Yansane vs Carlos Delgado
Momo shook the highlanders’ net with a thunderous strike from outside the box in his first start for the club. Delgado-led MCFC defense has not been able to keep a clean sheet yet, but they will for sure be looking to keep one against the Blasters, and the Guinean Center-Forward is a major threat to that ambition.
While the extent of the Guinean forward’s performance might depend on how much the team as a whole has gelled up, the goalscoring capabilities of the former UCL goal scorer against Ukrainian giants Shakhtar Donetsk cannot be underestimated, and the aforementioned goal being a header had nothing to do with why I made that particular reference, which is what would I say if I wasn’t trying to not be sarcastic.
Jokes aside, the Delgado-led defense has a lot to prove with Mumbai dropping points for two consecutive games in a row, crucially conceding in the dying minutes of the game. While Delgado might not be the one to blame for the conceded goals, his role as the defensive leader of the Mumbai backline has put huge pressure on him to perform, and nothing short of an extraordinary performance from him could finally bring Mumbai’s defensive solidarity back on track.
Yansane, being the sole true CF in Ashley’s system, adds more weight to this matchup as they both go head-to-head in Kaloor.
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