Three draws and a win in the first four matches -- that's what former champions Bengaluru FC have managed in the Indian Super League (ISL) 2020-21. But Kerala Blasters have fared worst, two draws and two defeats. Now, they meet in a crucial league match. (More Football News)
Bengaluru started the campaign with a 3-4-3 formation, which wasn't conducive to their style forcing Carles Cuadrat to deploy a four-man defence. The change in plan has helped Bengaluru bring out best from Dimas Delgado and Udanta Kumam, making them look more threatening.
Confirmed starting XIs:
Bengaluru FC: Gurpreet Singh Sandhu (GK), Pratik Chaudhari, Juanan, Erik Paartalu, Harmanjot Khabra, Dimas Delgado, Cleiton Silva, Suresh Wangjam, Kristian Opseth, Sunil Chhetri (C), Ashique Kuruniyan.
Kerala Blasters FC: Albino Gomes (GK), Bakary Kone, Nishu Kumar, Lalruatthara, Prasanth Karuthadathkuni, Jeakson Thounaojam, Rahul KP, Vicente Gomez (C), Jordan Murray, Facundo Pereyra, Gary Hooper.
“It was not working well for us at the moment but it can work well in the future. We have a plan B and C. We came back to a 4-3-3 and it helped us to get more offensive,” explained Cuadrat.
The Bengaluru coach sounded confident of his side getting back on track and added, “We have to be mentally and physically strong. Some teams had a longer pre-season but are not able to take three points,”
The former ISL champions have netted 80 per cent of their goals (4) from set-pieces this season and this could pose a threat to Kerala Blasters whose defence has been the most vulnerable in the league. They are yet to keep a clean sheet against BFC.
This season, Kerala have conceded six goals (second-most), despite facing just 13 shots on target. Coach Kibu Vicuna tried to played down it while trying to address the issue. He said, “We are working and hoping that in the next game, everything is going to be better. We didn't think we will get two points in four games but sometimes it happens."
“We are trying different possibilities. We are trying to improve. We have to improve in the last third. We have to be brave and work better and hard. We have confidence, we know we have a good team and players,” he said, further adding that they would need to improve in the final third to get the goals.
Kerala will miss the injured Sergio Cidoncha, who has left for Spain for his recovery programme.
Head-to-head: Bengaluru have a great track record against Kerala. In six games, they have prevailed on four occasions and lost just one.
All you need to know about the Bengaluru FC vs Kerala Blasters match:
Match: 27th match of ISL 2020-21 between Bengaluru FC and Kerala Blasters
Date: December 13 (Sunday), 2020.
Time: 7:30 PM IST
Venue: Fatorda Stadium, Goa
TV Listing: Star Sports 1/HD, Star Sports 2/HD (English); Star Sports Hindi 1/HD, Star Sports 3, Star Gold 2 (Hindi), Asianet Plus, Asianet Movies (Malayalam); Star Sports Bangla; Star Sports Kannada; Star Sports Tamil; Star Sports Telugu and Star Sports Marathi.
Live Streaming: Online streaming will be available on Disney+ Hotstar VIP and JioTV.
All ISL 2020-21 matches will be shown live and can be streamed live in 82 territories across the world. Check worldwide coverage details HERE.
Likely starting XIs:
Bengaluru FC: Gurpreet Singh Sandhu (GK), Juanan, Aashique Kuruniyan, Rahul Bheke, Harmanjot Khabra, Erik Paartalu, Suresh Wangjam, Dimas Delgado, Udanta Kumam, Sunil Chhetri, Cleiton Silva.
Kerala Blasters: Albino Gomes (GK), Nishu Kumar, Bakary Kone, Jessel Carneiro, Lalruatthara, Vicente Gomez, Rahul KP, Rohit Kumar, Nongdamba Naorem, Gary Hooper, Facundo Pereyra.
