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Kerala Blasters will lock horns with Mumbai City FC in Sunday's blockbuster ISL match up. The southern outfit has travelled to India's commercial capital with intentions of bagging all three points.
One thing still remains unclear though. Blasters' main man, CK Vineeth suffered a groin injury last week which, saw him miss his side's crucial clash against Bengaluru FC.
Will he play against Mumbai on Sunday? Kerala's manager, David James hinted that his star striker may play a part in the clash against the Islanders. While he did not confirm it, James did produce a cheeky smile when he was asked the question.
"He was there for training. Unfortunately, you will not get the team-sheet before me. He has put himself in a position to be selected as much as the squad did. We've had to be careful with 1-2 players, some knock issues. The team has not been announced yet. He (Vineeth) looks sharp though," James replied with a sly wink.
Sunday's game will be Kerala's second in four days while Mumbai will be playing after a period of nine days. David did admit that some of his players haven't had the time to recover. While he suggested that it isn't ideal, he refused to use this as an excuse. Kerala's new coach believes he has a big enough squad to rotate and isn't too worried about the erratic schedule.
"We now have three games in short succession. Of course, the other team has some benefits. Some of my players picked up some knocks against Delhi and we haven't had a massive amount of time to try and turn it around. We have a big squad and some players have to prove that they are worthy of wearing the Kerala Blasters shirt," he explained.
Only three points and two positions separate both the sides as they head into Sunday's match. Mumbai are seventh while Kerala lie ninth on the points table. A win for the visitors will help them move above ATK.
