Preview: Kerala Blasters look to relaunch title charge against Bengaluru FC

The reverse fixture between these two sides ended in a 1-1 stalemate.

Kerala Blasters will be desperate to get back to action and continue their dream run when they take on resurgent Bengaluru FC in the 2021-22 Indian Super League at the Tilak Maidan Stadium on Sunday.

Kerala last played on January 12, recording a 2-0 win over Odisha FC before their next two games were postponed. The men in yellow are on a 10-game unbeaten run and have 20 points from 11 matches, sitting third in the points table.

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The Stakes

Kerala Blasters

A win will take the Blasters to the same number of points as current league leaders Hyderabad FC who have a superior goal difference, but for Ivan Vukomanović's side the advantage is they have two more games in hand to Hyderabad and one more to second-placed Jamshedpur FC.

"Bengaluru are a great team which have the momentum. They have a great coach. They have a team that deserves to be in the top four and I believe they will at the end of the league," said Vukomanovic showering praise on the former champions.

Bengaluru FC

Bengaluru are on a seven-match unbeaten run and their improvement in attack has been a key reason for their climb up the table. In the last match, they beat Chennaiyin 3-0. It was the 4th time in the last seven games that they had scored three goals or more in a match. The Blues have also been creating more chances of late. In the last seven matches, they have created 10 or more chances on six occasions.

"The mood in the camp is good after the win against Chennaiyin. We're second in the number of goals scored, which is good for our confidence. We have a good squad, a very good team, and when we play our style of football we have a very good chance of winning this game," Head Coach Marco Pezzaiuoli said.

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Sunil Chhetri's return to form has also collided with Bengaluru's unbeaten streak on the spin. After no goal contributions in his first 11 matches, Chhetri has hit form, providing two goal contributions in his last two matches.

"Sunil Chhetri is a very important player for this team. You can see how many kilometers he covered in the last game. Also when he could have scored a goal himself, he saw Udanta in a better position and played it to him. He is vital to the team in many ways," Pezzaiuoli commented.

Udanta Singh has also found his scoring boots after a couple of forgettable seasons. The young forward scored a brace in Bengaluru's win over Chennaiyin and has been involved in four goals this season, a marked improvement from his performances in recent seasons.

Team News

Rahul KP has rejoined the Kerala Blasters team but isn't certain of being included in the squad. Albino Gomes has a long-term injury and is out for the season. Gurpreet Singh Sandhu is back to training and Sarthak Golui has also rejoined after a long hiatus after leaving the bio-bubble following the passing of a family member.

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Head-to-Head

Kerala Blasters and Bengaluru FC have faced each other nine times in the Indian Super League. The Blues lead the head-to-head records with five wins, while the Blasters have managed only two so far. Two more games have ended in stalemates, including the reverse fixture earlier this season.

Probable Lineups:

Kerala Blasters: Prabhsukhan Singh Gill (GK); Harmanjot Singh Khabra, Marko Leskovic, Ruivah Hormipam, Denechandra Meitei; Sahal Abdul Samad, Jeakson Singh, Lalthathanga ‘Puitea’ Khawlhring, Adrian Luna; Jorge Pereyra Diaz, Alvaro Vazquez.

Bengaluru FC: Lara Sharma (GK); Naorem Roshan Singh, Pratik Chaudhari, Alan Costa, Ashique Kuruniyan; Suresh Wangjam, Bruno Ramires, Prince Ibara, Udanta Singh; Sunil Chhetri (C), Cleiton Silva.

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Did You Know?

• Kerala Blasters have conceded the least number of goals (10) this season.
• Only East Bengal and Chennaiyin FC have top-scorers with lesser goals than Kerala Blasters' top-scorers Sahal Abdul Samad (4) and Alvaro Vazquez (4).
• Only Hyderabad FC has scored more goals than Bengaluru FC this season.

Telecast

The Kerala Blasters vs Bengaluru FC match will be played at the Tilak Stadium on January 30 (Sunday). The Kick-off time is 07:30 pm IST. The game will be telecast live on the Star Sports Network. The match will also be live streamed on the Disney+Hotstar platform and the JioTV app.

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