Kerala Blasters will lock horns with Mumbai City FC in their opening Group C match of the ongoing Durand Cup 2024 to be played at the Kishore Bharati Krirangan in Kolkata on Thursday, August 1.
The Kerala Blasters vs Mumbai City, Durand Cup 2024 match will start at 7:00 PM Indian Standard Time (IST).
Under newly-appointed Swedish manager Mikael Stahre, Kerala Blasters will compete in their first major tournament in the 2024-25 season.
Ahead of the new season, the Blasters earlier axed former manager Ivan Vukomanovic after they once again failed to end their search for an elusive trophy since their existence in 2014.
Meanwhile, the Blasters have made several changes to their squad for the 2024-25 season.
The three-time Indian Super League (ISL) runners-up Blasters have roped in the likes of Noah Sadaoui, Alexandre Coeff, Nora Fernandes, Likmabam Rakesh, Naocha Singh, Som Kumar and R. Lalthanmawia to bolster their squad.
Last season’s stars including Jeakson Singh, Dimitrios Diamantakos, Marko Leskovic, Fedor Cerynch, Nishu Kumar, Karanjit Singh, Daisuke Sakai and Lara Sharma have departed from the club.
On the other hand, Mumbai City FC have decided to field a reserve squad for the Durand Cup 2024 as most of their first-team players are training elsewhere under head coach Petr Kratky.
In the absence of the senior team, it will offer a perfect opportunity for the Mumbai City youngsters to showcase their talent and stake a claim in the first-team.
As per the Durand Cup 2024 format, as many as 24 teams have been divided into six groups of four teams each.
Table-toppers from each group and the top two second-placed teams will qualify for the Durand Cup 2024 knockouts.
Kerala Blasters were knocked out in the Durand Cup group stage last season while Mumbai City lost to Mohun Bagan Super Giant 1-3 in the quarter-finals.
Kerala Blasters vs Mumbai City head-to-head
The Kerala Blasters vs Mumbai City head-to-head record favours the Islanders. Mumbai City have won nine of the 20 matches that they have played against each other so far. Kerala Blasters have secured five victories while as many as six games ended in draws.
The last time these two sides met, Kerala Blasters registered a 2-0 victory against Mumbai City in an Indian Super League (ISL) 2023-24 clash at Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Kochi.
Dimitrios Diamantakos and Kwame Peprah netted a goal each to guide the Tuskers to an impressive win at home.
Where to watch Kerala Blasters vs Mumbai City Durand Cup 2024 live in India
The Kerala Blasters vs Mumbai City Durand Cup 2024 match will be telecast live on Sony Sports Ten 2 and Sony Sports Ten 2 HD TV channels in India.
Live streaming of the Kerala Blasters vs Mumbai City Durand Cup 2024 game will be available on the SonyLIV app and website in India.
Photo credit: Alamy
