Kochi
The stage was set and the noise was raised. Now for the excitement. In the new season of ISL football, Kerala Blasters will hit the ball in a packed stadium today. The opponents are Kolkata giants East Bengal at the Jawaharlal Nehru International Stadium, Kochi. The match is at 7.30 pm.
The audience is returning following a gap of two years. The game was played in Goa in the last two seasons due to covid.
Blasters made an unexpected leap last season. Ivan Vukomanovic, a Serbian, progressed to the finals under the coach. Although they lost to Hyderabad FC in the title fight, the game of Blasters got a lot of credit. The season in which the Blasters had the most wins and points. Adrian Luna, Alvaro Vasquez and Sahl Abdul Samad were in form. Has excelled both in attack and defence.
Blasters aim to be a continuation of that. The first step was to retain the trainer. This is the first time that a coach has remained with the Blasters. All 16 players from the runner-up team were retained. Vasquez and Jorge Diaz were among those who left. A handful of foreign players were brought in to fill the gap. Ivan Kaliushny, a Ukrainian player, is tasked with leading the midfield. Kaliushnik is in charge of the Blasters’ moves. Sahal, Luna and Jackson Singh will be joining. Midfield will be the strength of Blasters. Apostolos Gianu, Dimitrias Diamantakos and Bidyasagar Singh are also the scorers. Marko Leskovic is the star in defence. Harmanjot Khabra, Hormipam and captain Jezel Carneiro are in the cage. Prabhsukhan Gill as the goalkeeper.
There are seven Malayali players in the Blasters line-up including Sahal, Rahul and V Bijoy. East Bengal finished last in the last season. This time the Kolkatans will be under former Indian coach Stephen Constantine. Brazilian Clayton Silva is the main player. Evan Gonzalez on defense. Brazilian Alex Lima in midfield.
The strength of East Bengal is the smart Indian players. Jerry Lalranzuala, Sauvik Chakraborty, Sartak Goluy and Aniket Jadhav will shine. There are also Malayalee actors like VP Suher and Mubashir Rahman.
Entry from 4:30
Spectators can enter the stadium from 4:30 PM for kickoff. Extensive security systems are in place.
The stadium can hold 35,000 spectators. 90 percent of the tickets are sold out. VIP tickets priced at Rs 899 are available online and at the stadium. Kochi has the largest number of spectators in the ISL.
Ivan Vukomanovich / Stephen Constantine
Ready: Ivan Vukomanovic
Kerala Blasters coach Ivan Vukomanovic said that they have prepared well for the ISL season.
The training went well. There is no injury concern this time like last time. The 45-year-old said that all the players are fully prepared. He is eagerly waiting to play in front of his own fans in Kochi. The most important thing is the presence of fans. No stress, just joy.
Anyone can beat anyone in ISL. No one thought that Blasters would enter the finals last time. But all the predictions were wrong. This time also comes with hope. No one is written off. All are strong.
Vukomanovich announced that Ukrainian Ivan Kaliushny will be the main player in the midfield. Indian players were relied upon in the last season. Asked regarding the quality of the new foreign players, the Serbian replied, “There was all this doubt in the case of Adrian Luna and Marko Leskovic.” Trying to play well once morest East Bengal. Blasters coach said that the best team will win.
The goal is not last place: Stephen Constantine
East Bengal coach Stephen Constantine said that he is not coming to the ISL this time to return as the last place. They are facing Kerala Blasters with the sole aim of winning. Constantine, who is also the former coach of India, said that the setbacks in the previous seasons will be resolved.
As everyone knows, East Bengal faced many crises. When he took charge, there were only 12 players in the team. Later work was tough. The strength is the experienced foreign-Indian players. The team will not be ready in a day. You will find excellence slowly. Blasters are good opponents. Playing in Kochi is not easy. Constantine informed that none of this will affect East Bengal.
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