The Stallions have turned the Balewadi Stadium into a fortress, winning three of their four home matches so far. On the other hand, Kerala Blasters have lost both their away games, against Atletico de Kolkata and FC Goa .

Peter Taylor's decision to play a defensive 5-3-2 formation has restricted the team's options in the midfield- the team scored only two goals in the last four matches. Even in their last game, they scored just one goal after creating a host of chances against FC Goa and dominating the whole match– which proved costly in the end. They are also up against a Pune defense, who have conceded just three goals in their last four home games.