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After the Kolkata derby in the East, it’s time for the ‘Southern Derby’, fuelled by the heated fan bases’ love for the teams and never say die attitude from the players.
Kerala Blasters FC and Bengaluru FC will be locking horns in ISL 8 on Sunday, November 28.
Kerala Blasters will be targeting for a win to boost their morale after a clean sheet draw against Northeast United FC, while the friendly foes and Marco Pezzaiuoli’s men would not be ready to settle for anything less than three points. The intensity of this match is going to be sky high as both the teams will be stepping into GMC Athletic Stadium to make a statement with their game.
After a 4-2 defeat against ATK Mohun Bagan and losing Rahul KP on the right wing, any team would have opted to step back to defence and settle for a draw in the next match. But, Ivan Vukomanovic proved that he is a chef who knows his ingredients well. With the blistering pace of Vincy Barretto and clinical passing from Adrian Luna, he prepared a recipe that was too spicy for NorthEast United FC to handle. With Enes Sipovic and Marko Leskovic taking charge of the defence, Kerala Blasters looked like a well-gelled unit. Unfortunately, shots on target stood away from the Blasters’ scorecard in the last game. With Nishu Kumar, Chencho and Khabra lining up against their former dugout, fans will be waiting to watch what the gaffer have under their sleeves for the opponents this time.
On the other side, The men in blue, who will be waiting to bounce back from a 3-1 loss against Odisha FC will also be having some plans to execute.
Bengaluru FC dominates the fixture by winning 5 out of 8 encounters, while Blasters won just 2 in the previous meets. Apart from the ISL, the two teams have locked horns in the recently concluded Durand Cup, where Bengaluru FC secured a 2-0 win.
The previous meeting between these two teams in ISL last January at the GMC Athletic Stadium in Goa saw Blasters securing a 2–1 win over the blues. 2 wins against Bengaluru FC happened within the last 3 encounters and this will be a match which will boost the confidence of Kerala Blasters for the road ahead.
Vincy Barretto, who made a memorable debut for Kerala Blasters in the last match will be a player in the spotlight. Ayush Adhikari, Puitea, Jeakson Singh and the local boy Sahal would be the other Indian players to watch out for.
Jorge Pereyra Diaz and Alvaro Vazquez may have failed to score for Kerala Blasters in the last match. But, these two players can make any day their own. Chencho Gyeltshen joining them can cause trouble for opponent defence any given day.
Adrian Luna, the midfield machine of Kerala Blasters has already impressed many within this short span. The Uruguayan wizard will have his involvement on a good number of goals scored by Kerala Blasters this season.
