Kerala Blasters Vs Hyderabad Preview: Can Yellow Army bag first win?

The Nizams are coming on the back of a loss against table-toppers Mumbai City FC.

The GMC Stadium in Bambolim, Goa will witness an important Indian Super League (ISL) game on Sunday, as winless Kerala Blasters take on buoyant Hyderabad FC. With just three points from six matches, the Blasters are at ninth place on the points table, while Hyderabad FC are at seventh place with nine points.

Both teams had poor outings in the 2019-20 season and started their new campaigns with a lot of hope. However, between the two sides, it is Hyderabad who have managed to perform better, having lost just one game so far. Nevertheless, KBFC are by no means a bad side, hence sparks can be expected to fly when both teams clash on Sunday.

The Stakes

Kerala Blasters have managed to gather just three points from six matches so far, drawing against NorthEast United, Chennaiyin FC and SC East Bengal while losing to ATK Mohun Bagan, FC Goa and Bengaluru FC.

The team has failed to dominate their opponents, with individual moments of brilliance such as Jeakson Singh’s last-minute equaliser against East Bengal often rushing to their aid. If they have to get better results and stay relevant in the league, they will have to perform much better as a team.

Having played their last game exactly a week ago, Kibu Vicuna’s boys have had plenty of time to prepare for Sunday’s match. This should also increase their hopes of a win.

Hyderabad’s only defeat came in their most recent game against Mumbai City FC last Sunday. After starting the season in fine fashion by winning against East Bengal as well as drawing against Bengaluru FC and ATKMB, the loss to Mumbai may have put a dent in the team’s confidence. Hence, they might approach Kerala Blasters with caution.

A victory will propel Manolo Marquez’s team into the top four. But, the Yellow Army are also on the lookout for the three points, thereby making the game a must-win affair for both teams.

Team News

Barring captain Sergio Cidoncha, the rest of the Kerala Blasters squad is likely to be available for selection.

The likes of Sahal Abdul Samad, Jeakson Singh, Rahul KP, Jordan Murray and Albino Gomes had a good outing against SC East Bengal and it will be surprising if any of them fails to make it into the matchday squad.

For Hyderabad FC, the unavailability of Joel Chianese, Lluis Sastre and Fran Sandaza will continue, but their domestic stars including Liston Colaco, Asish Rai and Akash Mishra have played well to make up for it.

These three names along with those of Aridane Santana, Joao Victor, Halicharan Narzary and Chinglensana Singh will surely be there in their matchday squad.

Head-to-Head

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IyM4YVL3Wto&t=1s

This being HFC’s second campaign in the ISL, both teams have faced each other only twice so far. They met for the first time in November 2019, when Hyderabad won 2-1, but KBFC responded in style during their second meeting in February 2020 by winning 5-1.

Probable Lineups

Kerala Blasters

Gomes; Prasanth, Sandeep, Costa, Nishu; Rahul KP, Jeakson, Gomez, Pereyra; Hooper, Murray.

Hyderabad FC

Paul; Rai, Onaindia, Chinglensana, Mishra; Sharma, Victor; Poojary, Yasir, Narzary; Santana.

Man to Watch

Rahul KP (Kerala Blasters)

After not featuring in the matchday squad for the first two weeks due to injury, Rahul KP returned to the team against Chennaiyin FC. The 20-year-old created an instant impact and since then he has featured in every KBFC starting XI so far. He also scored a goal against Bengaluru FC. Known for his pace and versatility, Rahul gives the team plenty of options especially in the right side of the pitch. He can play as a second striker, a right-winger and even as a full-back. The youngster scored his first-ever ISL goal against Hyderabad FC last season, hence he really would be looking forward to score against them once again.

Liston Colaco (Hyderabad FC)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mCm46LUdom0

Liston Colaco is arguably Indian football’s best find this season. You may not find him in the Nizams’ starting XI very often, but that is because Marquez has identified him as an impact substitute in the second half of their matches. For instance, in the game against East Bengal, he notched two assists after coming on from the bench and scripted a comeback win.

Did You Know?

• Kerala Blasters are winless in their first six matches of the season for the first time-ever.
• Hyderabad FC have conceded 79 fouls in the first six matches. but have only picked up three yellow cards.
• Blasters’ Hooper has netted just one goal in six matches, the joint-lowest among all ISL teams’ first-choice strikers.

Telecast

The match between Kerala Blasters and Hyderabad FC is set to be telecast live on Star Sports 1 SD & HD, Star Sports 2 SD & HD (English), Star Sports Hindi 1 SD & HD, Star Sports 3, Star Gold 2 (Hindi), Asianet Plus (Malayalam), and Star Sports regional channels (in Bangla, Kannada, Tamil, Telugu and Marathi). It will also be streamed live on Disney+ Hotstar VIP and Premium and Jio TV.

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