ISL 2023-24: Kerala Blasters FC vs Mohun Bagan: Preview, Predicted lineup, injury news, H2H, telecast details

Kerala Blasters need five more points from their remaining five matches to qualify for the ISL playoffs.

Kerala Blasters will look to become the first team to end Mohun Bagan’s unbeaten run in the Indian Super League (ISL) under Antonio Habas when they host the Kolkata heavyweights at Kochi on Wednesday.

The Tuskers are eager to consolidate a place in the ISL play-offs and prove their quality by ousting the most in-form team in the division before the March international break.

The Stakes

Kerala Blasters

Kerala Blasters are actually the last team to have defeated Mohun Bagan in the ISL in what turned out to be the Mariners’ final game under Juan Ferrando. However, this time around, the tides have turned and Ivan Vukomanovic’s side have failed to hit top gear in the second leg of the ISL.

The Tuskers must gain energy from their passionate crowd at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium and bring their very best to the table. They are facing a Mohun Bagan side that only played a match a few days ago and might look to use their added fitness advantage to trouble them. The Blasters need a major win to get their campaign back on track and defeating a daunting side like the Mariners can help significantly amplify the squad’s confidence levels. Another loss, however, can further increase the fans’ frustration levels and create a nervy end to the campaign.

Mohun Bagan

The Mariners are coming off a thrilling win over rivals East Bengal and are on cloud nine right now. They have climbed to the top of the ISL table and now it’s about preserving that place. It won’t be an easy one as they barely get enough rest after the East Bengal game, but these are kind of matches where champions are made.

Habas needs to motivate his squad and rotate properly to ensure that his team can operate at the highest level. The Mariners will be fighting for revenge against Kerala, but need to treat this match like a finale itself to play with utmost conviction. A win can give a huge boost to Mohun Bagan’s chances of lifting the ISL shield. While a draw won’t be the worst result, a loss can create unnecessary complications in their stance in the title race.

Team News

Sachin Suresh and Adrian Luna are the major injury absentees for Kerala Blasters. Mohun Bagan are still without winger Ashique Kuruniyan.

Head-to-Head

Matches Played – 7

Kerala Blasters wins – 1

Mohun Bagan wins – 5

Draws – 1

Predicted Lineups

Kerala Blasters (4-4-2)

Karanjit Singh (GK), Pritam Kotal, Hormipan Ruivah, Milos Drincic, Naocha Singh, Vibin Mohanan, Jeakson Singh, Rahul KP, Daisuke Sakai, Fedor Cernych, Dimitrios Diamantakos

Mohun Bagan (3-1-4-2)

Vishal Kaith (GK), Anwar Ali, Brendan Hamill, Subashish Bose, Deepak Tangri, Asish Rai, Joni Kauko, Sahal Abdul Samad, Manvir Singh, Dimitri Petratos, Armando Sadiku

Players to Watch

Dimitrios Diamantakos (Kerala Blasters)

Dimitrios Diamantakos has been the driving force for Kerala Blasters this season and tried his best to carry them to positive results amid the difficult spell. Diamantakos has scored 10 goals and provided three assists in the ISL this season, and is competing for the Golden Boot title. He needs to lead from the front in trying to destabilize the opposition backline with his clever movement and ruthlessness.

Diamantakos has to try and link up nice attacking moves by dropping deep and also try to get at the end of chances. He needs to retain his ruthless finishing style to trouble this sturdy Mohun Bagan backline and get a positive result for his side.

Sahal Abdul Samad (Mohun Bagan)

Sahal Abdul Samad makes his return to Kochi in what will be an emotional outing for the ex-Kerala Blasters player. However, he can’t let his sentiments get the better of him and produce his best possible performance at his former hunting ground. Samad is coming off an impressive outing in the Kolkata Derby and needs to maintain his promising form.

He will try to be a chaotic figure in the midfield, making clever runs into empty spaces and also trying to unlock Kerala’s backline with his defence-splitting passes. Samad will, of course, have to work hard defensively to help his side control the game, but is going to look to get into more goal-scoring positions to score against his former side.

Did you know?

• Kerala Blasters need five more points from their remaining five matches to qualify for the ISL playoffs.
• Dimitri Petratos has managed the second most shots on target (20) for any player in the ISL so far this season.
• Kerala Blasters have only won one of their last five ISL matches since the turn of the year.

Telecast

The Kerala Blasters vs Mohun Bagan game kicks off at 07:30 PM (IST), at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, Kochi on 13 March 2024. The live telecast will be available on the Sports18 Network (Sports18 1/VH1 channel) and the live streaming of the game will be available on the JioCinema app.

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