Kerala Blasters vs ATK Mohun Bagan: Preview and Prediction
In a bid to claim pole position in the standings, ATK Mohun Bagan will take on Kerala Blasters in ‘Match 66’ of the 2021-22 Indian Super League season at the Tilak Maidan Stadium on Saturday.
Kerala Blasters has blown hot and cold recently but has done enough over the course of the season to establish themselves as one of the frontrunners for a semi-final spot. With 26 points from 15 matches, the Tuskers are occupying fourth place in the points table.
On the other hand, ATK Mohun Bagan has been absolutely flawless in recent weeks. The Mariners are placed in the second position having accumulated 29 points from 15 matches. They will leapfrog league leaders Hyderabad if they manage to avoid a defeat in this match.
Current Form
Kerala Blasters has accumulated six points in their last three matches and will be coming into this match on the back of a 1-0 win against East Bengal courtesy of an Enes Sipovic goal.
It was an important win for Ivan Vukomanovic’s men, as they were handed a 3-0 drubbing by Jamshedpur in the preceding game. However, the Tuskers registered a 2-1 win against NorthEast United before taking on the Red Miners.
Confidence will be sky high in the ATK Mohun Bagan camp, as they are the only team to have remained unbeaten in their last five matches, and also the only team to have won all of their three previous fixtures.
Juan Ferrando’s men won 2-0 against Goa in the last match, thanks to a brace from Manvir Singh. Before taking on the Gaurs, the Mariners won 3-1 against NorthEast United and 2-1 against league leaders Hyderabad.
Head to Head Record
The head-to-head records are completely skewed in ATK Mohun Bagan’s favor as they have won all of the three meetings against Kerala Blasters in this competition. The first meeting of this season produced a 4-2 thriller, where a Hugo Boumous brace and goals from Roy Krishna and Liston Colaco comprised the Mariners’ four goals whilst Sahal Abdul Samad and Jorge Pereyra Diaz found the back of the net for Vukomanovic’s team.
Team News
Harmanjot Khabra could make a comeback in the Kerala Blasters’ backline
Vukomanovic is likely to make two changes to the team that won 1-0 against East Bengal. Having served his one-game suspension, Harmanjot Khabra could replace Sandeep Singh in the right-back position.
Like Khabra, Marko Leskovic will also be available for selection after serving his suspension, but it will be harsh to drop Sipovic after a match-defining performance. Ayush Adhikari could be reintroduced in the middle of the park at Jeakson Singh’s expense and Nishu Kumar could be drafted into the starting XI as well.
Ferrando is also expected to make two changes to the starting XI which secured a 2-0 triumph against the Gaurs. By dropping Prabir Das to the bench, the Spanish tactician could play Pritam Kotal as the right-back and Subhasish Bose as the left-back.
It will allow him to free up a place in the front three, which could be taken up by David Williams. Deepak Tangri will be unavailable for selection after copping a one-game suspension for receiving four yellow cards and in his place, Bidyananda Singh might get a fantastic opportunity to prove his mettle.
Predicted Starting Lineups
Kerala Blasters (4-4-2): Prabhsukhan Gill; Harmanjot Khabra, Bijoy Varghese, Enes Sipovic, Sanjeev Stalin; Sahal Abdul Samad, Ayush Adhikari, Puitea, Adrian Luna; Jorge Pereyra Diaz, Alvaro Vazquez.
ATK Mohun Bagan (4-3-3): Amrinder Singh; Pritam Kotal, Sandesh Jhingan, Tiri, Subhasish Bose; Joni Kauko, Lenny Rodrigues, Bidyananda Singh; Manvir Singh, David Williams, Liston Colaco.
Prediction
Both teams have had an impressive campaign so far, but it is difficult to ignore ATK Mohun Bagan’s dominance in head-to-head statistics. Hence, we have predicted a 2-1 scoreline in the Mariners’ favor.