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Saturday marks a special day for Bengaluru FC. For the first time ever, they will play an ISL match and to make things interesting, they will be up against Mumbai City FC - a side known for their pragmatic approach. Mumbai will no doubt be a tough nut to crack.
That being said, Bengaluru have enough firepower to cause Mumbai problems. This one has all the makings of a tactical battle. On that note, let's take a look at the team dynamics of both the sides ahead of this blockbuster clash.
Bengaluru FC
Unlike most teams, the ISL newcomers have kept their nucleus intact. A core set of players will who have achieved massive success in recent times, this should bode well for them given the fact that almost all the other sides decided to completely overhaul their squad.
Sunil Chhetri will understandably lead this team. Now 33, the Indian captain is very much in the thick of things and will in all likelihood be expected to score every time he takes to the field.
But he does have company. The likes of Udanta Singh and Alwyn George will act as feeders in the middle of the park. Lenny Rodrigues will add some much-needed stability in the middle of the park.
All eyes, though, will be on the newly recruited striker, Nicolas 'Miku' Flores. Having played in Spain's top flight, expect some healthy competition between himself and Chhetri up front.
Bengaluru FC Predicted XI (4-4-2): Gurpreet Singh Sandhu, Sunil Chhetri, Udanta Singh, Nishu Kumar, Lenny Rodriques, Johnson, Juanan, Harmanjot Khabra, Edu Garcia, Miku, Boithang Haokip.
Mumbai City FC
Last year's semi-finalists will surprisingly not head into this season as favourites. For the simple reason that on paper, other sides have recruited far more dependable and established players.
However, their Costa Rican coach, Alexandre Guimarães is a master tactician and has the ability to get the best out of his players. It was evident last season when he had to deal with multiple injuries to players who were part of his starting XI.
Mumbai have a core set of Indian players who would probably start for any other side in the league. The likes of Balwant Singh, Amrinder Singh, Arindam Bhattacharya and Abinash Ruidas will all play a vital role for their team this season.
Mumbai City FC Predicted XI: Balwant Singh, Amrinder Singh, Abinash Ruidas, Lucian Goian, Everton Santos, Achille Emana, Sanju Prad, Mehrajuddin Wadoo, Léo Costa, Gerson Vieira, Aiborlang Khongjee.
Prediction
Bengaluru FC 2 - 1 Mumbai City FC
Bengaluru FC are surely the more cohesive unit among the two. Their players know each other extremely well and as a result, the hesitancy that some of the teams display at the start of the season will not be visible among them. Mumbai will pose a threat but will have to dig deep for a result.
