Kerala Blasters vs Bengaluru: Preview and Prediction
‘Match 76’ of the 2021-22 Indian Super League season will see Kerala Blasters and Bengaluru battle out for supremacy in the Southern Derby clash at the Tilak Maidan Stadium on Sunday.
We are more than halfway into the season and it will not be far-fetched to term Kerala Blasters as title contenders from what we have witnessed so far. The Tuskers are occupying third place in the league standings having accumulated 20 points from their 11 matches.
On the other hand, Bengaluru has found its mojo back after a challenging start and is now asking serious questions to the top four. With 17 points from 13 matches, the Blues are placed in sixth position.
Current Form
The fierce rivals have one thing in common – they both have been brilliant in their recent fixtures and are unbeaten in their last five matches. Kerala Blasters are coming into this match on the back of two consecutive victories.
The scoreline was 2-0 against Odisha, whilst against Hyderabad, Ivan Vukomanovic’s team ground out a 1-0 triumph. Before these two wins, the Tuskers were restricted to a 2-2 stalemate by Goa.
Like their opponents, the Blues also have gathered seven points from their three fixtures. Marco Pezzaiouli’s men registered a convincing 3-0 victory over Chennaiyin in their last match, despite missing a few crucial players.
The 2018-19 champions played out a 1-1 draw against Goa three days before taking on the Marina Machans, while the match preceding that against reigning champions Mumbai City also produced a 3-0 scoreline.
Head to Head Record
Bengaluru holds the edge in terms of head-to-head records, as they have won five of the nine meetings against Kerala Blasters. The Tuskers have emerged victorious on only two occasions, with the other two matches ending in draws.
One such draw was played out in the first meeting of this season. An Ashique Kuruniyan goal gave Pezzaiouli’s team the lead but the youngster soon transitioned from a hero to a villain, as his own goal helped the Tuskers rescue a point.
Team News
Cleiton Silva could be back in Bengaluru’s starting XI
Vukomanovic is expected to make one tweak to the team that won 2-0 against Odisha. Bosnian central defender Enes Sipovic did not have his best of matches against the Kalinga Warriors and he is likely to make way for the Tuskers’ Croatian wall, Marko Leskovic.
Besides Sipovic, Sahal Abdul Samad and Puitea were two players who were not as good as their teammates against Odisha. However, since the Indian duo has been fantastic throughout the season, they are likely to retain their place in the starting XI.
Pezzaiouli was forced to field a weakened starting XI against Chennaiyin, but some of his trusted warriors are expected to be back in the nick of time for this game. Brazilian duo Alan Costa and Cleiton Silva have returned to grass after recovering from their injuries and they might feature in this match.
Costa could take up the place of Wungngayam Muirang, whilst Silva is expected to replace Prince Ibara. Having served his one-game suspension, Danish Farooq is expected to be reinstated in the middle of the park, dropping Suresh Singh to the bench.
Predicted Starting Lineups
Kerala Blasters (4-4-2): Prabhsukhan Gill; Harmanjot Khabra, Ruivah Hormipam, Marko Leskovic, Nishu Kumar; Sahal Abdul Samad, Jeakson Singh, Puitea, Adrian Luna; Alvaro Vazquez, Jorge Pereyra Diaz.
Bengaluru (4-3-3): Lara Sharma; Parag Shrivas, Pratik Chaudhari, Alan Costa, Roshan Naorem; Iman Basafa, Bruno Ramires, Danish Farooq; Udanta Singh, Cleiton Silva, Sunil Chhetri.
Prediction
While the head-to-head statistics are inclined in Bengaluru’s favour, Kerala Blasters’ scintillating overall campaign so far balances the equation. Hence, we have predicted a 1-1 stalemate for this encounter.