Struggling Kerala will be squaring off against unbeaten Bengaluru in the Sunday night clash of Indian Football League 2020-21. Kerala picked up just two points from the first four games, while the Blues had a mixed start by remaining unbeaten.
Match Timings: Dec 13, 7:30 PM IST
Match Preview
The Yellows had never expected this downfall in 2020-21. After missing the playoffs last season, Kerala couldn’t lift its morale, and two-times finalists are still winless in the tournament. In the previous encounter, they were hammered by Goa 3-1 to receive its second defeat of the season.
Kerala created a mistake from the starting of the game. Brandon Fernandes and Angulo both controlled Kerala’s defense in the first half. Igor Angulo saw his name on the scoresheet in the 29th minute through an easy pass from Gama, and Goa got an early lead. Kerala didn’t find the equaliser, and the first half ended. Goa’s dominance continued in the second half as Fernandes provided assistance to Ortiz and Spaniard set the ball in the goalpost. Angulo missed out an easy goal after four-minute, but Goa was already ahead in the game.
Kerala tried the substitutes to pull off something. In the 90th minute, Vicente Gomez finally struck for the Yellows with the help of a brilliant cross from Nishu Kumar, but it was a late effort. In injury-time, Igor Angulo didn’t stop here and scored an easy goal to read the final scoresheet 3-1. Kerala will have a lot to ponder about the recent defeat, and with this approach, they cannot go ahead this season. Kibu Vicuna can make few changes in the lineup. Without Sergio Cidoncha and Costa Nhamoinesu, it would be tough to find points against the Blues.
Meanwhile, Bangalore are better than Kerala in the points table, but they haven’t impressed in the forward-line. They lack in defense and the goalkeeping skills from Gurpreet Singh is a serious issue. After playing four games, the Blues are unbeaten in the tournament, but they had appeared in three draws. The only win was recorded against Chennai. In the previous encounter, against Northeast, they lost the opportunity to get three points. It was a classic game of Football in Fatorda.
Northeast struck in the 3rd minute of the game with the help of Rochharzela and some error from Gurpreet Singh. Juanan scored his second for the Blues and delivered an equaliser after 9 minutes. Bengaluru's attack struggled against the defense of the Highlanders. Northeast could have netted two more goals, but Bengaluru saved the shot. The Blues introduced Udana in the 70th minute, and he didn’t disappoint as India International found his name on the scoresheet with a silly error from Northeast’s Dylan Fox. With the assist of skipper Sunil Chhetri, he scored the second goal. The advantage couldn’t sustain much as Luis Machado equalized for the Highlanders. A bad thing happened for the Blues in the 83rd minute when Dimas failed to score a goal after earning a free-kick.
For the second time, they dropped points after taking the lead but Bengaluru has the edge over the Yellow Army, and the current form put Sunil Chhetri-led side favourites. The Blues has lost once in the previous six meetings, and the defeat came in the most recent encounter in February this year.
Possible Lineups & Current Form
Bengaluru
Gurpreet Singh Sandhu, Harmanjot Khabra, Juanan, Rahul Bheke, Ashique Kuruniyan, Dimas Delgado, Erik Paartalu, Suresh Singh Wangjam, Cleiton Silva, Sunil Chhetri, Deshorn Brown
Current form – DWD D
Previous outing: 2-2 draw with Northeast
Kerala
Albino Gomes, Nishu Kumar, Bakary Kone, Costa Nhamoinesu, Jessel Carneiro, Vicente Gomez, Rohit Kumar, Facundo Pereyra, Rahul KP, Nongdamba Naorem, Gary Hooper
Current Form: L DD L
Previous outing – 3-1 loss against Goa
Key Players
Bengaluru
Sunil Chhetri
9 goals in Indian Football League 2019-20
1 goal & 1 assist in the current season
Juanan
2 goals in Indian Football League 2020-21
Kerala
Gary Hooper
2 goals in pre-season
1 goal in Indian Football League 2020-21
Vicente Gomez
1 goal in Indian Football League 2020-21
