AFC Cup Playoffs: Gokulam Kerala vs Odisha FC Live Updates

6:45 PM IST: Hello everyone and welcome to Khel Now’s LIVE COVERAGE of the Gokulam Kerala vs Odisha FC match in the AFC Cup Playoffs. The kick-off is at 7:00 PM IST! I’m your host Aishwarya Chakraborty, and I’ll be keeping you company through what promises a fascinating evening of football. Please wait for 30 Seconds for the Live blog to load.

Gokulam Kerala vs Odisha FC - Build-up

Just days after their euphoric victory against Bengaluru – that saw the Juggernauts get their first piece of silverware – Odisha FC march on. To further add to the joys they have had this season, Odisha will now prepare to take on I-League side Gokulam Kerala, in a one-off game for a group stage berth in the upcoming AFC Cup –  the second-tier of Asian club football.

Gokulam come as the winners of the 2021-22 I-League, whereas Odisha recently won the 2023 Hero Super Cup. Therefore, because of the transitional switch in the calendar of 2023–24 AFC Champions League and the 2023–24 AFC Cup, from spring-to-autumn to an autumn-to-spring schedule, the All India Football Federation has decided that its continental slots will be determined by an extra playoff, officially known as Hero Club Playoff for sponsorship reasons.

The playoff game between Odisha and Gokulam will be played on the 29th of April, Saturday, at the EMS Stadium, Kozhikode, Kerala.

The Stakes

Gokulam Kerala

Gokulam haven’t been able to meet their extraordinary standards this season, and would be disappointed with themselves to have missed a chance to get promoted into the ISL.

After two back-to-back title triumphs in the 2020-21 and 2021-22 season, the Malabarians finished third in the I-League. They were fairly disappointing in the Super Cup as well, where they finished fourth in their group, failing to muster up a single point.

Although the club finds itself in a desperate state at the moment, the I-League side will have a chance to make it big and qualify for Asia this Saturday. 

They have to pick themselves up and get into the correct mentality from the first minute. If they want to register a shock victory against Odisha and earn the honour of representing the nation in Asia’s second biggest club competition, Gokulam will need to attack from get go.  

Odisha FC

Odisha FC, as mentioned, are coming into this game on the back of an emphatic victory, that earned the side its first ever silverware. It has been a historic season for the club and this was their moment of silver lining added to it.

With a win this Saturday, Odisha can achieve something which only a few clubs have been able to pull off in the past – the opportunity to represent India at the continental level. 

To feature in one of the biggest stages of Asian football, and to play against some of the best players and teams across the continent is something that the Eastern Dragons will be eyeing for, when they take on Gokulam on the 29th.

Predicted Line-ups

Gokulam Kerala FC (4-3-3)

Shibin Raj Kunniyil (GK); Mohammd Jasim, Pawan Kumar, Aminou Bouba, Vikas Saini; Shilton D’Silva, Farshad Noor, Omar Ramos; Sreekuttan VS, Samuel Mensah Kooney, Sourav K.

Odisha FC (4-2-3-1)

Amrinder Singh (GK); Narender Gahlot, Osama Malik, Carlos Delgado, Sahil Panwar; Thoiba Singh, Princeton Rebello; Jerry Mawihmingthanga, Victor Rodriguez, Nandhakumar Sekar; Diego Mauricio.