Preview: Kerala Blasters, East Bengal FC clash in search of first win (original) (raw)

The two sides will clash in front of a sea of yellow hoping to register their first win of the season.

Kerala Blasters FC will feature against East Bengal FC in their second Indian Super League 2024-25 (ISL) clash at 7:30 pm IST, Sunday, September 22, at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Kochi.

After going down to Punjab FC, Kerala Blasters FC will now be aiming for a revival and their first home win of the season. East Bengal FC on the other hand, were beaten 1-0 by Bengaluru FC in the opener.

Kerala Blasters FC had given Punjab FC a tough run in the previous game, with the latter only securing the win in the added time of the second half. The Red & Gold Brigade too had kept knocking on the doors of the Blues repeatedly and they would hope that such efforts yield required results in this match.

Cuadrat's attacking upperhand vs KBFC

• Cuadrat’s teams have scored in all seven games against Kerala Blasters FC in the ISL, netting 15 times in the process. It is their second highest such tally against any opponent in the competition.

Pritam Kotal’s purple patch vs EBFC

• Kerala Blasters FC’s Pritam Kotal has won all seven of his games against East Bengal FC in the ISL. It is the only team he is yet to lose a game against in the competition. His seven wins against them is his joint second highest against any opponent (NorthEast United FC – P17 W9 D3 L5).

“We will bounce back”

Mikael Stahre, who recently took over the hot seat at the Kerala Blasters FC, wants his team to be more precise. Against Punjab FC, the side had more share of the ball (57.3%), a better passing accuracy (72% vs 66%) and also registered more shots on target (4 vs 3). But, the tactician demands more.

“We have to attack with more players, have more passers, be more precise and technical, and, ultimately, more effective. I'm positive, but right now, it's really painful to handle this defeat. But we will bounce back,” he mentioned.

“We have tried to use the space with their pace”

Carles Cuadrat fielded youngsters like PV Vishnu and Aman CK, both of whom are from Kerala, in the second half against Bengaluru FC. Despite being relatively young and inexperienced to others, both players stood out in helping East Bengal create opportunities in the conclusive stages of the game.

The Spaniard said, “In the game, we have tried to use the space with their pace. Aman CK, PV Vishnu, and Nandhakumar (Sekar) were attacking the spaces and creating chances with crosses. We tried to finish. Unfortunately, we were not able to score. But I think they will give a lot to the team in the minutes they are going to play.”

“The last game was a difficult one to start the season, but now we move forward. It will be a tough match tomorrow. The pressure will also be on Kerala Blasters FC (because of their previous result), so they’ll be competitive. Our aim is to play well, be competitive, and fight back tomorrow,” Cuadrat added.

Key Players & Milestones

Both Kerala Blasters and East Bengal will have top players who could be potential difference-makers in this game.

• For the Yellow Army, fans will be hopeful of new recruit Jesus Jimenez, who scored in his debut the other night against Punjab FC. Notably, he became the eighth Kerala Blasters FC player to do so, with Ivan Kalyuzhnyi being the most recent one to establish this feat (against East Bengal on October 7, 2022).

• East Bengal will be reliant on Dimitrios Diamantakos for goals as he won the ISL 2023-24 Golden Boot last season during his stay at the Blasters, with 13 strikes to his name. He has already scored on his club debut against Indian Air Force in the Durand Cup 2024 and will be upbeat to face his former side, and of course, the atmosphere promised by the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium.

• Kerala Blasters FC’s Noah Sadaoui has made 7.3 touches in the opposition’s box per 90 minutes in the ISL since the start of 2024. It is the most by any player, who has played a minimum 10 games in this time period. The former FC Goa star is the only player to record 100+ such touches during the same span.

Indian Super League will be streamed live free on JioCinema (English, Hindi, Bengali and Malayalam) and telecasted live on Sports 18 — 3 (English, Hindi, Bengali and Malayalam), Asianet Plus (Malayalam). Additionally Sports 18 — 1, Sports 18 — 2 and Sports 18 — Khel will also broadcast live select ISL matches.