ISL 2015: Kerala Blasters seek revenge against a depleted Atletico de Kolkata
Atletico de Kolkata will host Kerala Blasters in what is a rematch of last season's final. Tonight, the teams will share the spotlight with legend, Pele, who from the VIP box, will hope to inspire the teams to produce their best. However, both the teams would be happy with a draw in this closely matched encounter.
Atletico de Kolkata earned a hard-fought point against FC Goa in their last game, where they played a long period of the match with 10 men on the pitch. Arata Izumi's wonder-goal gave them the lead, which they were defending well, till Baljit Sahni was sent off for head-butting Gregory Arnolin. In the end, Antonio Habas would have been happy with a point, considering the situation.
The home side is, however, crippled with injuries, suspension and players missing due to international matches. This match against their opponents in last year's final, will be a test of the depth of the squad, they have assembled in the summer.
Kerala Blasters, like Atletico, made a flying start to the campaign with a 3-1 win against NorthEast FC in their opening game. But, they failed to find the back of the net against Mumbai City FC in their last encounter. Peter Taylor will be worried about the lack of finishing from his strikers, who wasted some golden opportunities.
These two teams faced each other thrice in the first edition of the ISL, and every time it was a close affair. Atletico failed to beat Kerala in the league stages, but they won the game which mattered the most – the final of ISL 2014. This depleted Atletico side have presented a good opportunity for Kerala to seek their retribution.
Atletico de Kolkata team news
Atletico are missing a host of key players for this game and Antonio Habas will have to field a completely reshuffled defense. Arnab Mondal and Rino Anto are still away with the national team, while Ofentse Nato has been called up by Botswana.
Josemi, who came on as a substitute in the last game, has failed a fitness test and is unlikely to start as well. Augustin Fernandes, who has been used as a left back, will shift to the center to partner Tiri, while Syed Nabi will make his first start on the left side of the defense.
Helder Postiga is still undergoing treatment in Portugal, which means Iain Hume will lead the line with Arata Izumi playing behind him.
Baljit Sahni will miss this match due to suspension, which will provide opportunity for someone like Clifford Miranda to make his debut on the wings. Habas also has the option to use Nadong Bhutia in that role.
Kerala Blasters team news
Peter Taylor has insisted that he won't make any changes to the team, he used in their opening two matches.
Unlike Kolkata, Kerala Blasters have been strengthened by the return of their marquee player. Carlos Marchena has recovered from his injury and is in contention for a place in the starting line-up.
The visitors will be without Sandesh Jhingan and Cavin Lobo. The duo will participate in India's 2018 World Cup qualifying fixture against Oman later tonight.
The Kerala manager insisted that any changes to the starting line-up will be based only on the fitness of the players, as they don't want to burn them out quickly. The Englishman should be expected to rotate his squad through the tournament.
Sanchez Watt, who has started on the bench in the last two matches, could replace Chris Dagnall upfront. He will partner Mohammed Rafi, who will come in place of Manandeep SIngh.
What the managers said
Antonio Habas is happy with the start his team has made. "It's been a very difficult start for us because Goa, Chennai and now Kerala were three of the most important teams from last season. But I think the team has been in fantastic form and I look forward to the same against Kerala at home. We are prepared," the Atletico coach explained.
Peter Taylor also voiced similar emotions about this team's performances. "If we get an average of two points per game for the remainder of the season, I'll be very happy. We decided to play the same shape for the last two games and got four points out of it so it's not a bad start. We played some good football and we played some frustrating football,” the Kerala Blasters manager said in the pre-match press conference.
Previous encounters
26 October, 2014: Atletico de Kolkata 1-1 Kerala Blasters
21 November, 2014: Kerala Blasters 2-1 Atletico de Kolkata
20 December, 2014: Kerala Blasters 0-1 Atletico de Kolkata
Prediction
Atletico de Kolkata 1-1 Kerala Blasters
Atletico have been weakened considerably, yet, they are playing at home, where they have been hard to beat. Kerala will be interested in maintaining their unbeaten start and both the teams are likely to be very cautious in their approach – it won't be an open game of football and both the managers will be pleased with a draw in this match.
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