Kerala Blasters are scheduled to take on Mumbai City FC in a high-octane Indian Super League (ISL) clash at the Tilak Maidan Stadium in Goa on Sunday. But the league leaders are yet to take to a training ground since they saw off Odisha FC 2-0 on Wednesday.
Odisha had four Covid-19 positive cases inside their bubble when the two sides clashed and the Blasters squad are isolating themselves in their hotel rooms after a member of the club management tested positive. Head coach Ivan Vukomanovic on Saturday termed the situation "very unpleasant" as he waits to find out whether the game against Mumbai will go ahead.
"Nobody is talking about football anymore because everyone is concerned. We have families," the Serbian coach said on the eve of the game. "It's not easy not going to the training ground and being unable to prepare for the game, especially when you are playing for victories," he said.
Though Vukomanovic would love to keep his team's 10-game unbeaten run going, he said he must look at the bigger picture under the current circumstances. "As a player, It's never easy to play a game without training. You are not in rhythm, the effort exhausts you, you lose a lot of liquid, injuries happen and you are out for the rest of the season," he said.
"And as a human being, you could be the carrier of the virus. There is a feeling we are passing on the virus to others. It doesn't give you the confidence or concentration to play a game of football," Vukomanovic said. Mumbai, on the other hand, are one of the few teams in the league who are spared by the virus.
But they have problems aplenty on the pitch as the Islanders have been winless in four matches conceding 10 goals since their 0-3 defeat to Blasters last month. "We can't go through the next nine games conceding the way we have. We have the same players who are working hard. I am convinced we are a short time away from a turnaround," said head coach Des Buckingham.
Blasters have 20 points from 11 games heading into the game, but Mumbai can still go level with the leaders with a win on Sunday if the ISL decides to go ahead with the fixture.
