Former champions Bengaluru Football Club (BFC) will aim to maintain their all-win record and build on a perfect start to the season when they take on Mumbai FC in an I-League match at the Cooperage Stadium here on Wednesday.
Bengaluru coach Ashley Westwood couldn't have asked for a better start to the new season as his boys made it three wins in as many games after beating Shillong Lajong 3-0 at the Kanteerava last Sunday, to go top of the table. While Bengaluru defence was impregnable, Westwood's strike combination of CK Vineeth and Kim Song Yong justified the gaffer's pairing of them, grabbing the goals against the team from the hills.
BFC, who had won the I-League in the 2013-14 season, had earlier defeated Salgaocar and top flight newcomers Aizawl FC to give their campaign a superb start.
"Kim being physical and Vineeth being in good form and using his pace to link together is a good partnership. Udanta and Sunil can also play in those positions. At the minute, Vineeth and Kim are doing well but we definitely have more options in that respect," Westwood was quoted as saying in a statement on Tuesday.
Mumbai FC however, have proven to be a difficult team for BFC in the past. The two teams have met four times in the I-League and have always ended up sharing the spoils -- a habit Bengaluru will be keen to change.
Eugeneson Lyngdoh and Josimar da Silva were on target for Bengaluru and Mumbai respectively in a 1-1 draw between the two sides at the Cooperage Stadium last season and a good result on Wednesday will be the perfect injection for BFC who travel straight to Kolkata where they play East Bengal on Saturday.
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Westwood maintained that his boys will look to take on the hectic schedule with positivity.
"It's important to win every game. We have a tough schedule ahead of us as we play six games in the next twenty days which is unheard of. We have four away fixtures in our first five games as well but we're looking to stay positive and get good results," he said.
Mumbai, on the other hand, are coming off a win themselves, having downed Salgaocar 2-1 at home on Sunday and with five points from three games, are yet to taste defeat this season.