ISL 2019-20 | Kerala Blasters vs ATK - Preview

10/20/2019

ISL will kick start with probably one of the most mouthwatering of fixtures when ATK would be coming to Kerala to test their new side and more importantly, coach Antonio Lopez Habas. Kerala, too, would be having new weapons to show with their fans waiting with baited breathe for the season to start.

Preview

Two-time ISL champions would be travelling to the backyard of two-time finalists Kerala Blasters to kick off campaign 2019-20 on Tuesday, which would see Antonio Lopez Habas and Eelco Schattorie bring their star-studded side to the fore and give the league an idea of what to expect from the giants. After Kerala Blasters won 2-0 away at ATK last season and the Kolkata giants could only draw in Kochi in the reverse fixture, this would be a perfect stage for ATK to settle the score.

Key Players

We might as well run out of key players for this fixture – there’re so many big names expected to be involved. ATK would have the likes of Roy Krishna, Michael Soosairaj, and Edu Garcia to rely on up top. With the insane talent that the former Jamshedpur FC player showed last season, ATK fans would be hoping for edge of seat stuff on the left flank. His lung-bursting runs and affinity to cut in from smallest of gaps are commendable.

To compliment his pace and skill, a muscular and strong-willed Krishna would be waiting. The Fijian international is known for his prolific scoring from anywhere inside the box and Soosairaj’s piercing through balls would be the icing on the cake. To add to that would be Edu Garcia’s creativity, who could find anyone in the attacking third with his range of long balls.

For Kerala, the likes of Bartholomew Ogbeche, Sahal Abdul Samad, and Mario Arques would be the biggest threat. The Nigerian has been handed the captain armband after his phenomenal performance last season under the same manager for NorthEast United. He would be expected to solve the scoring problems for the team, something Matej Poplatnik and Stojanovic made a mess of last time.

Arques has proved his worth in the continent after coming from a lower tier Spanish side and with Cesar Ferrando having a similar philosophy like Schattorie, the Spanish midfielder’s role isn’t expected to change much in terms of helping the side. Sahal has become a fan favourite after last season and would be expected to partner Arques in the midfield and try to make things happen through his silky runs.

Head to Head

One of the most anticipated fixtures of the league, either Kerala Blasters or ATK have been involved in a season opener, four out of the previous five seasons. However, a clash between them has garnered a lot of traffic lately and ISL has stuck to it in the previous two seasons. They have faced each other 12 times, with ATK winning five and drawing the same.

Team News

The biggest blow has obviously been the absence of Sandesh Jhingan from KBFC, who has suffered an injury in India’s warm-up match against NorthEast United, which would see him miss the season. Apart from that Gianni Zuiverloon and Jairo Rodrigues have also missed matches in pre-season making them a doubt for the season.

ATK would also see some absence in Jobby Justin and Anas Edathodika, although none of them were really expected to start in the eleven even if they were fit. While John Johnson would be pairing with Carl McHugh or Agus Garcia in the central defence, it would be David James who would start on the flanks.

Form Guide

Kerala Blasters: D-W-L-W-D

ATK: W-L-W-L-W

Predicted Lineups

Kerala Blasters (4-1-3-2): TP Rehenesh, Abdul Hakku, Gianni Zuiverloon, Jairo Rodrigues, Lalruatthara, Mario Arques, Sahal Abdul Samad, Sergio Cidoncha, Halicharan Narzary, Mohammed Rafi, Bartholomew Ogbeche

ATK (4-2-3-1): Dheeraj Singh, Pritam Kotal, John Johnson, Agus Garcia, Prabir Das, Pronay Halder, Sehnaj Singh, David Williams, Edu Garcia, Michael Soosairaj, Roy Krishna

When do the goals come in this fixture?

The first time they faced was in November 2014, when Iain Hume and Pedro Adriano while Fikru Lamesa scored ATK’s solitary goal. And while there have been 11 fixtures thereafter, the fixture has hardly seen some first half goals. Barring the first game, it was Antonio who had scored a goal in the first half for Kerala in a 2-3 home loss to ATK back in 2015. Apart from that, most goals in this fixture have come either in the first ten minute after half time, or in the last 10 minutes of the game. Hence, we won’t really be surprised if we see a similar goal timing on Sunday as well.

Managers

Antonio Lobez Habas – Having managed the likes of Atletico Madrid B side, Valencia, and Sportig Gijon amongst other sides, Habas was appointed as the ATK coach in 2014. After he won the league with the side, he saw a slump in the following season that brought an end to his stint with Kolkata. Though FC Pune City hired him soon after, his stint was underwhelming with the side winning just four of the 13 matches. He has since remained unemployed until ATK came calling again in 2019.

Eelco Schattorie - Having being on the coaching circuit for long, the Dutchman first became a manager for the Al-Ettifaq U23, a Saudi Arabian side. He had few more stints in the Middle East before the likes of Prayag United and East Bengal came calling. However, he didn’t get his big break until 2018 when he was given the managerial post of NorthEast United FC. After taking them to the playoffs in his very first season, Schattorie will have a much better team to play with a huge fan base to please.