I couldn’t think of a better title to describe this matchup. Kerala Blasters under David Català face arguably the Goliaths of the Indian Football scene right now – Mohun Bagan Super Giants, led by Sergio Lobera. A spiritual successor of the Indian El Clásico between Kerala Blasters and Atlético de Kolkata, the fixture is one of the most anticipated matchups in ISL every season, and with no return leg this time, this fixture is expected to be as fiery as a final of sorts.
David Català and the Blasters
The impact that the uncertainty had on the Blasters is very well-known at this point, so I’m skipping that. Despite losing only key players, the Blasters have still managed to build a respectable squad as they go into the new season with low expectations. For head coach David Català, however, there is no better time than this to prove his mettle. The Spaniard’s time with the Blasters has been a mixed bag till now, and this league phase might just be his final chance, with his contract running out at the end of this season.
The Blasters will miss the services of Sandeep Singh who’s suspended as a result of the red card incident in their previous game vs Mumbai in the Super Cup, while the set of other notable absentees could include Matías Hernández, Amawia and Salahudheen Adnan all of whom weren’t spotted travelling with the team in the travel reels posted by the club’s official handle, hinting at the possibility that they too will not be a part of the squad for the first game against Bagan. Ajsal, who’s yet to join the squad following the Santosh Trophy campaign, will also miss the first game.
As for expectations, any result other than a loss will be a major result for the Blasters in their current situation.
Mohun Bagan Super Goliaths helmed by Lobera
Mohun Bagan is one of the if not the least impacted club by the uncertainty that prevailed around the league this season. The Mariners have retained their core squad from the previous season, both domestic players and foreigners, and have even made improvements to the side, as they look to retain their title. Lobera’s philosophy fits well with the Bagan side, who command dominance over opponents, and with the recent signing of Amey Ranawade, they’ve confirmed their intention to go all in, and for this side, anything short of retaining the title would count as a failure.
A Notable absentee for Bagan is Ashish Rai, who picked up an injury that has ruled him out for the rest of the season, but since he was replaced by Amey Ranawade, I don’t think they’ll be missing him that much.
And as for expectations, anything except a victory would be a failure for this star-packed Bagan side.
Key Battles:
Víctor Bertomeu de la Hoz vs Alberto Rodríguez Martín
I don’t think I need to explain much about this. If you want to have a chance of scoring a goal against Bagan, you have to beat Alberto. The towering 6’3 Centre-Back is one of the best CBs in the league and was key to Mohun Bagan’s double-winning campaign last season. Despite being a CB, Alberto is also a goal-scoring threat, finding the back of the net 5 times last season, two of which came against the Blasters.
And as for Víctor Bertomeu, he can’t have a better start to his ISL career than scoring in his debut against the mighty Bagan defense, and to do that, he’s gotta shake off Alberto, and in this ‘David vs Goliath’-esque fixture, it’s a key battle that everyone will be looking forward to.
Korou Singh Thingujam vs Subhasish Bose
Korou and Subhasish are two players who had a stellar season last time around, and they’ll be looking to continue their good run of form in this season as well. Korou is the lifeline of the Blasters’ Right-Wing, and if he’s blocked, it nearly shuts down the entirety of the Blasters’ Right-Wing attacks, obviously and that in short is the goal for the veteran defender who’d be looking to cap a good display in front of his home crowd this evening.
Oumar Bah vs Jamie Maclaren
Today’s game marks Oumar Bah’s return to professional football after a long period of absence, and his first task at hand is to stop Jamie Maclaren. The all-time top scorer of the A-League, Maclaren, finished 3rd in the top scorer race last season with 12 goals, a quarter of which came against the Blasters.
I don’t think I need to expand on the threat of Maclaren much more, and thus I believe you already know how crucial it is for the new man in the Blasters backline to stop the Aussie Arsonist (Arsonist in the sense of setting fire to opposition defenses, like you get what I mean 🙂 )
Expected Lineups:
Kerala Blasters (4-2-3-1):
Sachin (GK)
Aiban – Bah – Bikash (C) – Saheef
Vibin – Rowllin
Korou – Marlon – Yoke
Bertomeu
Mohun Bagan Super Giants (4-2-3-1):
Kaith (GK)
Amey – Aldred – Alberto – Subhasish
Tangri – Apuia
Manvir – Robinho – Liston
Maclaren
Where to Watch?
- Fancode (Streaming)
- Sony Sports Ten 2 (Television)
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