ISL: Sergio Lobera has to prove his credentials against Bengaluru FC

Mumbai CityFC take on Bengaluru FC in an Indian Super League (ISL) encounter on Tuesday as Sergio Lobera has some scores to settle.

Among the coaches who have a minimum of 50 ISL matches under their belt, Lobera is up there with the best Points Per Match (PPM) average of 1.81, followed by Antonio Habas (1.67) and Steve Coppell (1.47). But when it comes to Bengaluru, for a club he has faced seven times in his managerial career, the former FC Goa coach has recorded the lowest PPM of 0.57 (W1, D1, L5).

His only victory (4-3) while leading the Goan side against Bengaluru came when the opponents were reduced to 10 men on account of Gurpreet Singh Sandhu's sending off.

After that game, the Blues accumulated as many as three clean sheets in the rest of the games against the Sergio Lobera-led Gaurs outfit who in turn haven't managed to score more than once in the particular fixture until the 2-2 draw but of which came under new Goa coach Juan Ferrando this season.

Now at Mumbai City, Lobera has a number of quality personnel at his disposal and other than their opening day defeat against NorthEast United unbeaten in the last seven games (W6, D1).

Reminded of his dismal record against Bengaluru ahead of the tie, he told reporters, "The past is the past and it doesn't affect the future. These are different teams and different players. We are preparing in the same way. We need to know the small details of the opponent team that can help us. It's always very difficult to play against Bengaluru but the most important for us is to give our best."

Mumbai City are currently second with 19 points with a game in hand as compared to leaders ATK Mohun Bagan who have played nine games and lead by just a point. The Islanders have the best offensive record with 13 goals and joint best defensive record as well (3, with ATK Mohun Bagan).

Adam le Fondre has so far scored six goals for Mumbai City, Ahmed Jahouh and Rowllin Borges are two of the best midfield marshalls in business, Hugo Boumous (4) and Bipin Singh (3) have the most number of assists in the league while goalkeeper Amrinder Singh has kept as many as five clean sheets this season.

Add to that, the Mumbai-based side also boast of squad depth with players like Bartholomew Ogbeche, Cy Goddard who can prove effective on their, and a selection headache in numerous positions that any coach would dream of.

In short, Lobera has all the ingredients to prove his critics wrong with regard to his Bengaluru record. The Blues have kept only two clean sheets this season and failed to score in two consecutive games in the first time in the history of the competition but they will always be a tough opponent to play against.