Kerala Blasters stand 90 minutes away from playing the Indian Super League final on home soil, and given their form in their fortress recently, nobody will foolish enough not to place them as favourites in the tie.
It has been a magnificent turnaround of sorts for Steve Coppell and his side, who have been nothing short of scintillating in their last few games. The only blot to their recent form is when they were blanked 0-5 by Mumbai City FC.
Despite suffering such a heavy defeat, the Blasters showed strength and character to not let their pursuit of entering the semi-final fall off the rails. Importantly, they were solid at the back.
That is exactly what the the Blasters should be banking on going into this contest too. It was a strong defensive display that put Atletico de Kolkata in the final.
With Coppell’s backline growing from strength in recent weeks, it will come as no surprise if the away side solely set themselves up to defend their slender lead.
In attack, Blasters’ CK Vineeth, Duckens Nazon, and Kervens Belfort are players who can be most threatening when they break away at pace.
A wounded Dynamos are expected to come back strongly. They were in the same position as the Blasters are – defending a 1-0 lead – entering the second leg last year: An inspired FC Goa blew Dynamos away 3-0.
With the quality in attack that Gianluca Zambrotta can call upon to find the back of the neck, the Dynamos are justified in thinking that the first leg defeat was a mere aberration.
A lot will depend on if Kean Lewis, Florent Malouda and Marcelinho – Dynamos’ in-form men – turn up for this contest. Mumbai surrendering meekly in the last four just goes to show that there is a certain kind of experience that a team requires to win battles in a two-legged tie. Diego Forlan and Co lacked it while ATK’s main men stepped up.
A tight, feisty game is on the cards, and so is a chance of a repeat of the ISL 1 final.
Match Facts:
Venue: Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, New Delhi
Capacity: 60,000
Time: 7 pm IST
Last meeting: December 11th 2016, Kerala Blasters 1-0 Delhi Dynamos, at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Kochi
Head-to-head: Matches: 7, Kerala wins: 2, Delhi wins: 2
Key Battles:
Florent Malouda vs Azrack Mahamat
The advantage that Blasters have in sitting back and soaking pressure is having the right kind of personnel to pull off such a strategy. In Azrack Mahamat and Mehtab Hossain, Coppell has the luxury of calling upon two tireless players who provide plenty of industry and willingly break down attacks.
Mahamat is a towering presence in the middle of the park. Florent Malouda, the most experienced member in the side, knows all about overturning a 0-1 deficit in a two-legged tie from his time at Chelsea. Mahamat has his task cut out to keep the veteran Frenchman in check. Malouda’s versatility allows him to power through the middle or the flanks, and there is little doubt that he will be the focal point of Dynamos’ attacks.
Kervens Belfort vs Souvik Chakraborty
It was Belfort’s goal that currently separates the two teams and the manner in which the Blasters striker finished would have hurt Souvik. The Dynamos defender is a reliable performer who delivers atleast at 7/10 performance in every game. He seldom lets his backline down and is a complete workhorse, which has seemingly impressed Gianluca Zambrotta.
The Dynamos are expected to see a lot of the ball in the game and Belfort’s long legs and power can take Souvik off-guard on the break. With the spotlight being on Vineeth ever since his comeback to the Blasters setup, Belfort has quietly emerged as one of the key performers of the side.
Expected line-ups:
Kerala Blasters FC: Sandip Nandy; Aaron Hughes, Cedric Hengbart, Sandesh Jhingan, Rino Anto; Azrack Mahamat, Mehtab Hossain; Kervens Belfort, Duckens Nazon, Mohammed Rafi, CK Vineeth
Delhi Dynamos FC: Antonio Doblas Santana; Ruben Gonzalez Rocha, Anas Edathodika, Chinglensana Konsham Singh, Souvik Chakraborty; Milan Singh, Florent Malouda, Bruno Pelissari; Marcelinho, Richard Gadze, Kean Lewis
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