Kerala Blasters have a poor record against Mumbai City FC in the Indian Super League (ISL). In their last five meetings, Kerala has failed to register a single win against the Islanders, losing three and drawing the other two.
But as his side prepared to take on the league leaders at the GMC Stadium on Wednesday, Kerala coach Kibu Vicuna sounded optimistic.
"They're (Mumbai City FC) the leader of the competition. They're a very good team, very good players with a good coach. It's a big challenge for us as we have to come back and get a win tomorrow. We are ready to face Mumbai City," said Vicuna in an ISL release.
Kerala has struggled against coach Sergio Lobera's teams in the past. The former FC Goa coach enjoys his best success rate against Kerala, against whom he has won six matches and drawn one. "They are a good team and we will try to get three points," said Vicuna.
In their previous outing, Kerala squandered a two-goal lead to go down 3-2 against ATK Mohun Bagan, with some controversial decisions going against the team. However, Vicuna chose to overlook that and concentrate on his team.
"We have to focus on the game as that is the only thing we can do. What we can do is do better and play better," he said.
Meanwhile, Mumbai will look to end their recent poor form. The side has won just one of the last four games, a run which also saw their second defeat of the campaign, against NorthEast United FC.
"We knew this situation was possible because it is practically impossible to not lose any game during the season. We lost the first game to NorthEast. Never before during the same season has one team gone 12 games unbeaten," said Lobera.
"We are ready (for a reaction) because we know in this competitive league, this situation was possible. We are not (going to let this) affect us because we need to continue improving and work with the same ambition in the same way. We need to learn from our mistakes as always but I am not worried," Lobera said.
( With inputs from ANI )
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