Manolo Marquez flags injuries and finishing issues as Mumbai City head to Kochi for ISL clash on October 25
Manolo Marquez said Mumbai City FC face injury setbacks and attacking struggles ahead of their ISL 2026-27 trip to Kerala Blasters in Kochi on Sunday, October 25, as the Islanders seek their first win of the season.
Mumbai arrive in Kochi on the back of a 1-1 draw with Punjab FC that earned them their first point of the campaign; both of their goals so far in the season have come from penalties. In the Punjab match Mumbai conceded a late equaliser after Wilmar Jordan Gil was forced off injured in the closing stages and, having used all substitutes, the Islanders finished with ten men. Marquez acknowledged the strong home atmosphere expected for Kerala’s opening home game but said Mumbai would still pose a challenge to their hosts.
Reflecting on the Punjab game, Marquez defended his side’s overall defensive showing and praised the opposition’s persistence, saying: “We played a good game defensively against Punjab. We conceded very late, but we were playing with ten players, and Punjab have a very good team. They were pushing hard and eventually managed to equalise.”
Mumbai confirmed two notable absences for the trip to Kerala, with Vikram Partap Singh and Wilmar Jordan Gil both expected to miss the fixture. On Vikram, Marquez said: “Vikram has suffered a bad injury and will be out for a long period. We will have to see whether he can play some games towards the latter part of the ISL season, but he will be out for now.”
Marquez gave a separate update on Wilmar’s condition, describing it as a hamstring issue: “He has a muscle problem in his hamstring and will not be available for this game. He will be out for a few games.” Both absences, Marquez acknowledged, could force changes to Mumbai’s starting XI ahead of Sunday’s match.
Forward Farukh Choudhary, back with Mumbai City FC, emphasised the need for the attack to be more clinical in front of goal and said the coaching staff have focused on finishing in training. He said: “As attackers, we need to score. Whoever plays in the attacking unit has to be more clinical with the chances we create. That could help us score early in games and put ourselves in a better position to control them.” Farukh added he will use his experience to help younger teammates with composure and understanding the coach’s instructions, and stated: “Wherever I play, whatever job the coach gives me, I need to stick to that and perform to the best of my abilities.”
Marquez confirmed Akash Mishra has taken the captain’s armband and backed the defender’s leadership, recalling their three seasons together at Hyderabad FC and explaining the selection was made collectively. On the differing significance of captaincy he said: “In Spain, being the captain or not is not very important. Here, it seems that if you wear the armband, you are like the boss. It is simply a requirement that one player has to be the captain. We decided on the captains together with the players and the staff, and Akash, obviously, was with me when he was 18 at Hyderabad for three seasons. I know him very well, and he has the personality to be the captain.” Marquez also noted Mishra’s recovery from an ACL injury, saying the left-back is close to his previous level though not fully back to 100% fitness.
Mumbai City head to Kochi needing greater attacking efficiency, longer defensive concentration and solutions to cope with the absences of Vikram and Wilmar; Marquez stated he was satisfied with the defensive display against Punjab and expects training to address the attacking problems. The Islanders will attempt to claim their first three points of the ISL 2026-27 season when they face Kerala Blasters in Kochi on Sunday, October 25.