Bengaluru FC vs Mumbai City FC: Three key battles that could decide the ISL playoffs

Bengaluru FC and Mumbai City FC will contest the first playoff game on Saturday

Following the conclusion of the regular season, the battle lines are drawn as Bengaluru FC welcome Mumbai City FC to the Sree Kanteerava Stadium on Saturday for their Indian Super League (ISL) playoff game. The winner will play FC Goa in a two-legged semi-final tie.

Both sides have a number of match winners in their respective squads. However, certain battles on the pitch can change the course of the game at any minute. Here are three tussles that will probably determine the outcome in the game between Bengaluru FC and Mumbai City FC on Saturday.

Sunil Chhetri vs Mehtab Singh

An interesting battle be BFC’s Captain-Leader-Legend and the Islanders’ Mehtab Singh. Chhetri has been the Blues’ top scorer with 12 goals in this ISL season. Sunil Chhetri has scored nine goals in 19 ISL appearances against Mumbai City and hence he would be Bengaluru’s biggest threat on paper.

Conversely, the Mumbai City defender played in both the league games against Chhetri this season and played a key part to ensure that Bengaluru FC didn’t score a single goal against the Islanders.

With Chhetri expected to play on the left side of BFC’s attack again, Mehtab will once again have his hands full against the Indian legend. Restricting the influence of Blues’ skipper will be key for the Islanders and Mehtab if they aspire to progress to the semi-finals this season.

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Rahul Bheke vs Nikolaos Karelis

Overall, Rahul Bheke has had a positive impact on his side as he returned to the Blue of Bengaluru. The former Mumbai City defender was the star performer in Bengaluru FC’s 0-0 draw with Mumbai City at the Mumbai Football Arena earlier this season.

Karelis, on the other hand, started the season slow but has scored 4 goals in his last four starts for the Islanders. The 33-year-old scored a goal and provided an assist as Mumbai City FC beat Bengaluru FC by a scoreline of 2-0 at the Sree Kanteerava Stadium earlier this month to secure their playoff berth.

Mumbai City FC have scored more goals on away trips than at home this season. Bengaluru FC on the other hand have conceded just 12 goals in 12 ISL home games. Hence, the matchup between Karelis and Bheke will have a direct impact on the game in terms of goals as they will have multiple run-ins against each other.

Ryan Williams vs Nathan Asher Rodrigues

Any article would be incomplete unless we talk about the two X-Factors from both ISL sides. To make matters more exciting, the two players are expected to have quite a few tussles against each other and this could decide the result of the game.

Ryan Williams has been exceptional for Bengaluru FC this season since returning from his injury. In 18 regular season games, the right winger has scored 6 goals and has provided 4 assists to his teammates. While his form has dropped in recent games, the Aussie could be a game changer on his day.

Nathan Rodrigues on the other hand has had a dream debut season for Mumbai City FC. The left back has cemented his place in the starting XI and has also scored 3 goals and provided 1 assist in 22 ISL games. The 21-year-old’s pace and agility will be key to stop Williams, something that MCFC need to focus on to qualify for the semifinal.

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