I-LEAGUE Media Team

PUNE: Bharat FC and Mumbai FC square-off in the Round 8 match of the Hero I-League with stakes as high as the No 5 position as the league heads midway through the season.

Having scored its first win of the season last week Bharat FC is on a high playing at home, but Mumbai FC could be a tricky opponent given that they have played here for three seasons as home ground.

Surely it will be a battle between cool and calm Stuart Watkiss and hyperactive Khalid Jamil when they two teams square-off at the Balewadi Sports Complex Stadium on the morrow.

The Lions, as Bharat FC like to be referred to, had beaten Salgaocar FC thanks to strikes from Subhash Singh and Kris Bright. But they would do well not to forget that Mumbai FC has arrived here on the back of two straight wins at home in Cooperage.

Currently, Bharat FC are at No 10 position with 5 points, while Mumbai FC are at No 8 with 7 points.

Watkiss has been on record saying these stretch of three straight home games are the most important ones to get back to the winning ways.

“We played well against Salgaocar. I was pleased by how we never panicked in the game. We scored off the two chances we got and then defended very well. Sunday’s result has set us up nicely and we are looking forward to working hard against Mumbai FC and put another positive result under our belt,” Watikiss said after the team’s official match practice at the Bharati Vidyapeeth training ground.

Though Bharat FC managed to garner their first three points on Sunday, the match ended with the home-side reduced to 9-men. G Vignesh and Dharmaraj Ravanan will be suspended for Friday’s match after picking up a couple of yellow cards each and Watkiss knows that he has a challenging job on his hand, putting out a strong team against Mumbai FC.

“Both Vignesh and Ravanan are important players. However, I am confident that our bench has enough depth. The lads have been working hard, a few are on the fringes of the first team and these suspensions allow them to stake a claim for a regular place. The new players need to grab this chance and use it as a springboard,” Watkiss added.

In their places, defender Bikramjeet Singh, who was picked for India under-23 probables on Wednesday, makes his entry in the match-day squad.

Winger, Dipendu Dowary, has also found a place in the 18-man squad to face Mumbai FC. Bobby Hassell, who was substituted after suffering a knock on his left big toe against Salgaocar FC is yet to recover and will miss Friday’s game.

On the other hand, Jamil was confident of his team posing a tough test to Bharat FC. He hoped that his players would thrive on the confidence winning two straight wins.

“We have played some really good football over the last two weeks. Beating Salgaocar FC and then defeating table-toppers Royal Wahingdoh FC has done our confidence a world of good. We had a bit of a wobble in the beginning but that’s behind us now. We have a fully fit squad for selection and I am expecting my team to trouble Bharat FC tomorrow,” he said.

“We have to adopt a positive approach and not bother too much about the result. A win is certainly good, but a point is also satisfying. To achieve that we must be alert from the start and try our best,” he said.

Match KO: Feb 27 @ 6:30 PM IST (Ten Action)
 

Hashtag: #KBFCvMUM