ISL 2023-24: East Bengal eye comeback against Kerala Blasters

East Bengal defeated Kerala Blasters at home in the previous ISL edition.

East Bengal are all set to welcome an in-form Kerala Blasters side at the Salt Lake Stadium, Kolkata for their upcoming Indian Super League (ISL 2023-24) clash on Saturday, 4 November.

The Red & Gold Brigade are eager to get re-energized by their fans’ passion and end their two-game losing run. The Tuskers, on the other hand, are flying high on momentum and will aim to use that to their advantage to deliver the Kolkata giants another loss at their own yard.

The Stakes

East Bengal

Carles Cuadrat’s side hasn’t really had the best start to their new era under him (in the ISL). After picking up four points from their first two games, East Bengal have been brought back to reality in the last two fixtures. They suffered crushing losses and are yet to really play to their utmost ability.

Three losses in a row can draw crisis talks and move them far behind the top-four or even the playoffs spot. East Bengal have to find the motivation to produce a much sturdier and more ruthless display in front of their home faithful to regain a winning momentum and climb up the ISL table.

Kerala Blasters

Kerala Blasters have had a solid start to the ISL season and have put their bitter end to the previous campaign in the back seat. Boiled by their impressive foreign core and hard-working Indian players, Ivan Vukomanovic’s side have produced spirited performances that have outwitted strong oppositions. In East Bengal, they face a vulnerable and shaky opponent who are there for the taking.

Vukomanovic will urge his players to take the fight to the Kolkata side, play their fast-paced attacking style and be ruthless with their finishing. A draw can feel like a loss in current circumstances, while a loss can totally derail the momentum they picked up after defeating Odisha FC.

Injury & Team News

East Bengal sustained a big blow in the early part of the season when defender Jordan Elsey was sidelined for many months with a knee injury. However, his replacement Hijazi Maher is available for selection. Kerala Blasters will miss Prabir Das and Milos Drincic due to suspension.

Head to Head

Total Matches Played – 6

East Bengal Wins – 1

Kerala Blasters Wins – 2

Draws – 3

Predicted Line-ups

East Bengal (4-2-3-1)

Prabhsukhan Gill (GK), Nishu Kumar, Lalchungnunga, Hijazi Maher, Mandar Rao Dessai, Saul Crespo, Harmanjot Khabra, Nandhakumar Sekar, Borja Herrera, Naorem Mahesh Singh, Cleiton Silva

Kerala Blasters (4-4-2)

Sachin Suresh (GK), Naocha Singh, Pritam Kotal, Hormipam Ruivah, Sandeep Singh, Rahul KP, Danish Farooq, Vibin Mohanan, Adrian Luna, Daisuke Sakai, Dimitrios Diamantakos

Players to Watch

Naorem Mahesh Singh (East Bengal)

Naorem Mahesh Singh has arguably been among the best Indian players in the ISL so far this season. He has scored two goals in four appearances so far and has been a menace with his movement and final product. Singh is currently East Bengal’s biggest attacking threat and will be key in disrupting the Kerala Blasters backline.

He needs to time his runs perfectly, getting into the empty space to create major chances for his teammates. Singh also needs to be at his clinical best and finish off whatever chances he can get to uplift his side’s chances of getting a big win.

Daisuke Sakai (Kerala Blasters)

Kerala Blasters’ new winger Daisuke Sakai has brought that added creative spark to their attack. While he might only have one assist in five appearances, Sakai’s clever playing style has added more layers to their attacking moves.

The Japanese winger will look to dart into the empty spaces in the final third and destabilize East Bengal’s defensive shape with his passes. Sakai has to be really accurate with his final third passes to carve open the opposition's backline and create chances, while he’ll also be keen on getting among the goals by sneaking into more scoring positions.

Did you know?

• Sachin Suresh has the second-best save percentage (72.2%) in the ISL so far this season.
• East Bengal have never lost to Kerala Blasters at the Salt Lake Stadium in their past meetings.
• Adrian Luna has created the joint-most chances (13) in the ISL so far.

Telecast

The East Bengal vs Kerala Blasters game will be played at the Salt Lake Stadium in Kolkata. Kick-off is at 8 PM IST. Live streaming and broadcast of the game will be available on the JioCinema app and Sports 18 Network (Sports18 1/VH1 channel), respectively. Viewers from abroad can tune into OneFootball for the broadcast.