I-League Media

BENGALURU: With the sole intent of consolidating the good start, Hero I-League title contender Bengaluru FC take on Mumbai FC tomorrow at the Sree Kanterava Stadium in Bengaluru.

Both teams have made a perfect start to their league campaign – The boys from the It-city winning both their home ties convincingly and Mumbai FC winning in home and away apiece. Bengaluru FC are now enjoying the pole position, thanks to better goal difference.

Mumbai FC have always been a hard nut to crack for the champions. In the last three editions of I-League, they’ve managed to beat them only once at the Fortress.

Roca, whose two timely substitutions in the last match paid a rich dividend, sounded cautious. He said, “After two wins, they’ll come stronger mentally and they have enough talents to put us in trouble, but we’re ready for a hard battle.”

Thoi Singh and Karan Sawney, two former Bengaluru FC men have truly prospered for Mumbai in the last match.

Bengaluru have signed few Indian players lately – Lenny Rodrigues, Harmanjot Singh Khabra and Mandar Rao Dessai among them have featured in the starting eleven.

According to Roca, “It is not easy for the new players to understand the philosophy of the new club from the first week. What I want from them is to be at par with the existing team at the earliest. But we have to give them time for that.”

“We are trying to build a superior team, this team is under construction, we’re adjusting things, and not completed yet!” added the coach.

Bengaluru FC would want to bag full points before they play a difficult away game against Kingfisher East Bengal this weekend.

Talking to the media, Santosh Kashyap sounded positive, “Great start for us in I-League, our players have put in the best effort, and the team is high on confidence.”

Kashyap is now targeting for a top three finish. “I have a great respect for Bengaluru FC, we are going to meet the strongest opponent. Believe tomorrow’s match is going to be a championship match for us,” he adds.

Mumbai will take the field sans foreigners, owing to transfer formalities, which is yet to be completed.

Kashyap is content with his current batch, “I believe in Indian players and they have responded positively in such a short span of time. Boys have been fantastic at home as well as away matches.”

“I have trust and confidence in them; they are doing a good job!” adds the Mumbai-based coach who believes in playing attacking style of football.

The match is scheduled at 07:00 pm and will be telecast live on Ten 2.