By I-League Media
BENGALURU: On the resumption of the Hero I-League, Bengaluru FC lock their horns with Mumbai FC tomorrow at Sree Kanteerava Stadium, Bengaluru.
The encounter can be fairly termed as a high-stake match with Mumbai FC turning out to be Bengaluru FC’s nemesis. Incidentally, Bengaluru FC have never defeated Mumbai FC in the Hero I-League so far and the first leg turned out to be a 0-2 loss for the steelmen.
On the injury front, Bengaluru FC have some respite as Eugeneson Lyngdoh is back to match fitness, and he is in contention for starting eleven.
“We need to see where Eugene stands for the game. Sunil Chhetri had an injury before he went to the National Camp, that’s the reason he did not feature in the match against Turkmenistan. We’re assessing him on a day-to-day basis, it is not a long-term injury, we’ll see how it is, if he stays enough focused, then he’ll play, if not, he won’t”, Ashley added in the pre-match press conference.
On the loss in the first leg, Ashley spoke,“Bengaluru FC played for the first time at Cooperage ground. Though we had the majority possession, we conceded two early goals, which made us difficult to come back into the game.”
He looked content with the progress of the Hero I-League, “Several teams are coming up now and there will be a lot of twists and turns. What we can do best is to win our next game.” Ashley sums up, “As long as we keep the season alive, I’ll be happy!”
Mumbai FC Manager is not ready to bask in the fantastic record his team enjoys against the Steelmen. He further added, “We barely keep statistics in our mind while playing a match. Whatever happened earlier is now behind is. We only focus on our next game, and the one that is important for us is the game against Bengaluru tomorrow.
Talking about the new-found rivalry between Bengaluru FC and Mumbai FC, Henry sounded enthusiastic, “There have to be rivals – rivalry between the clubs and their fans. This is needed to prosper football in our country. Since last year, this has been a key point. We have come here, there will be loud Bengaluru fans, when we played at home, there were Mumbai FC fans.
The mouth-watering Hero I-League encounter, which has always proven to be a nail-biter, is scheduled at 07:05 PM and it’ll be telecast live on Ten 2.
