Mohammedan vs Kerala Blasters: Preview and Prediction
After finishing at the top of Group A in Durand Cup 2022, last year’s runners-up Mohammedan will square off against Kerala Blasters in the first quarter-final at the Salt Lake Stadium in Kolkata on Friday.
Mohammedan are unbeaten in their tournament, finishing the group stages with 10 points from 4 matches. They are the only I-League side alongside Rajasthan United to make it to the quarter-final stages of the tournament.
Kerala Blasters, on the other hand, finished second in Group D with 7 points from 4 matches. Having scored only six goals, they have found the net the joint least number of times alongside Rajasthan United among the teams to progress to the knockout stages.
Current Form
Mohammedan started their campaign with 3-1 and 3-0 victories over Goa and Jamshedpur respectively. Faslu Rahman was the star of both the matches as he scored in each of the two encounters and bagged two assists as well. Ousmane N’Diaye and Rahul Paswan scored a goal each against the Indian Air Force as the Black Panthers beat them 2-0.
Mohammedan led till the end of regulation time against Bengaluru but Sivasakthi’s goal in the extra time nullified Pritam Singh’s early goal as the match ended in a 1-1 draw.
Muhammad Ajsal provided Kerala Blasters with a lead in the 42nd minute but Seiminmang Manchong equalized for Sudeva as the ISL side opened their Durand Cup 2022 campaign with a 1-1 draw. The Tuskers had no answers to Odisha’s dominating play as they succumbed 2-0.
With only one point from two games, many would have written off Kerala Blasters for a place in the quarter-finals but the Tuskers returned strongly. Mohammad Aimen struck a brace as Ajsal scored the other goal for Blasters in a 3-0 victory over NorthEast United.
Kerala Blasters struck twice against Army Green to win the game 2-0 and book their spot in the quarter-finals.
Head to Head Record
This will be the first ever encounter between Kerala Blasters and Mohammedan in Durand Cup 2022 or in any other professional tournament.
Team News
Samad Ali Mallick suffered an injury and is currently hospitalized for Mohammedan. Abhishek Halder saw a red card in the game against Bengaluru and will be out due to suspension.
Kerala Blasters have no injury concerns or suspension worries. They should field an unchanged starting eleven that beat Army Green.
Predicted Starting XIs
Mohammedan (4-4-2): Zothanmawia; Abhishek Ambekar, Ousmane N’Diaye, Shaher Shaheen, Vanlalzuidika; Abhash Thapa, Kean Lewis, Sheikh Faiaz, Pritam Singh; Marcus Joseph, Faslu Rahman
Kerala Blasters (4-4-2): Sachin Suresh; Marvaan Hussain, Tejas Krishna, Muhammed Basith, Aritra Das; Muhammed Azgar, Vibin Mahanan, Gaurav Kankonkar, Roshan Gigi; Muhammed Ajsal, Muhammed Aimen
Prediction
Mohammedan are on a roll in Durand Cup 2022, even proving their mettle against the main team of Bengaluru. Kerala Blasters’ reserves side struggled against Odisha and scraped their way into the quarter-finals because of an easier set of opponents. We predict Mohammedan to edge the tie 2-0.