ISL 2015: FC Goa likely to outscore an unproductive Kerala attack
FC Goa will host a struggling Kerala Blasters side, at the Fatorda Stadium, as both the teams look for a win to get their season back on track to repeat their feat of reaching the knockout stage last season.
FC Goa come into this game on the back of a 3-1 win over NorthEast United, away from home. They showed tremendous grit to get back into the game after conceding an early lead. It was an important win considering the 4-0 drubbing they received from Chennaiyin in the previous game, although their defense looked shaky once again.
Kerala Blasters suffered a disappointing 0-1 defeat at the hands of Delhi Dynamos and they are now win-less in their last three games. Peter Taylor's team has struggled to score goals and have found the back of the net only once in their last three matches. The English manager might have to resort to a change in tactics in order get a positive result in this game.
FC Goa team news
Goa's injury list has been growing steadily with every passing gameweek. The latest additions have been Jofre and CS Sabeeth, both of whom picked up an injury during the last game against NorthEast. Their captain and marquee defender, Lucio, is yet to recover from the knock he received against Chennaiyin FC, which means Luciano Sabrosa will start once again.
Brazilian forward, Victor Simoes has been ruled out for the rest of the tournament and Goa are yet to sign a replacement for him.
Zico is likely to make only two changes to the starting line-up he used against NorthEast – Mandar Rao Desai and Romeo Fernandes will replace the injured duo of Jofre and Sabeeth.
Kerala Blasters team news
Peter Carvalho is the only player who is currently unavailable for selection, as he has been out since their first match.
Peter Taylor is likely to field a completely new attack as his team struggled to score in their last three games. Manandeep Singh and Chris Dagnall are likely to be replaced by Sanchez Watt and Mohammed Rafi, while Spanish playmaker Josu is likely to return to the starting line-up, in place of Pulga, in order to add more creativity at the center of the park.
Previous encounters
6 November, 2014: Kerala Blasters (Milagres 64') 1-0 FC Goa
26 November, 2014: FC Goa (Slepicka 64', 79', Santos 69') 3-0 Kerala Blasters
Prediction
FC Goa 2–1 Kerala Blasters
With the open and attacking brand of football Goa plays, there will be goals in every match they are involved in. But the home side's attack is more potent than that of Kerala and they will outscore the Blasters in this fixture.
