The opening game of the third edition of the Indian Super League is almost upon us. With 61 matches to be played across 79 days, it promises to be a festive football season full of goals – or so fans hope.
For the third season in a row, NorthEast United and Kerala Blasters play their opening fixture against each other. Not incidentally, the return game at Kochi on December 4 is also the last game in the league stage.
Both teams have new managers. Nelo Vingada, the 63-year Portuguese tactician has been given charge of the NorthEast outfit and is vastly experienced, having coached several international teams such as Portugal, Saudi Arabia, Jordan and Iran's Olympic team for 2016 in a glittering career spanning 35 years.
Steve Coppell, a highly-regarded right winger in his days at Manchester United and the England national team, has managed the likes of Crystal Palace, Manchester City and Reading in English football and will bring that experience to the Yellow Brigade as they attempt to put a forgettable ISL-2 behind them, where they finished dead last in the league stage.
Aaron Hughes, marquee player for the Blasters, may be the least known of all the marquees, but he is also the only one to be still actively playing international football. Hughes played for Northern Ireland in the Euros. At 36, he has played 455 Premier League matches for Newcastle, Aston Villa and Fulham. A very disciplined defender, he has the record of having played the second highest number of PL matches without being sent off, behind only Ryan Giggs.
Didier Zokora, the 35-year old former Ivory Coast defensive midfielder, returns for a second stint in the ISL after playing for Pune City last season. Zokora, his country's highest-capped player with 123 appearances, has a wealth of experience, having played for clubs like Saint-Etienne, Tottenham Hotspur and Sevilla.
Match Facts
Venue: Jawaharlal Nehru International Stadium, Kochi (locally known as the Kaloor International Stadium)
Capacity: 60,000 (extendable to 75,000 after installation of bucket seats)
Time: 7 pm IST
Last meeting: NorthEast United FC 1 - 4 Kerala Blasters, November 15, 2015 at the Indira Gandhi Stadium, Guwahati
Head-to-head: Matches played: 4. NorthEast wins: 1, Kerala wins: 2, Draws: 1
Key Battles
Nicolas Velez vs Sandesh Jhingan: Velez was NorthEast's top scorer last season with five goals and the John Abraham-owned outfit will be glad to have retained the pacey striker who will look to run into spaces behind the Kerala defenders.
He will come up against Jhingan, ISL-1's Emerging Player who is a tall, formidable centre-back with a dominating aerial presence. A regular in the Indian team, Jhingan didn't have the best of seasons last year and will have his hands full with the Argentine striker.
Didier Zokora vs Jose Currias: Zokora, also known as "The Wizard", will sit the deepest in NorthEast's midfield and will look to pull the strings, adding some much-needed aggression to the team. His big match experience is undeniable and will come in handy.
Currias, the Spanish playmaker is expected to be Coppell's creator-in-chief as he looks to pick holes in NorthEast's defence. Zokora's job will be to stop Currias dictating play as any space afforded to the Spaniard in the final third could prove to be fatal for NorthEast United.
Squads
NorthEast United FC: Subrata Paul, TP Rehenesh, Wellington Gomes, Salam Ranjan Singh, Nirmal Chettri, Shouvik Ghosh, Robin Gurung, Reagan Singh, Mailson Alves, Gustavo Lazzaretti, Didier Zokora, Fanai Lalrempuia, Holicharan Narzary, Jerry Mawihmingthanga, Katsumi Yusa, Koffi Christian N’dri, Lallianzuala Chhangte, Rowllin Borges, Seityasen Singh, Wellington Priori, Romaric, Emiliano Alfaro, Nicolas Velez, Sasha Aneff, Robert Cullen, Sumeet Passi
Kerala Blasters FC: Graham Stack, Sandip Nandy, Kunal Sawant, Mohammad Ansari, Aaron Hughes, Cedric Hengbart, Sandesh Jhingan, Gurwinder Singh, Pratik Chaudhary, Elhadji Ndoye, Josu Currais, Didier Boris Kadio, Azrack Mahamat, Mehtab Hossain, Mohammed Rafique, Ishfaq Ahmed, Vinit Rai, Michael Chopra, Antonio German, Kervens Belfort, Duckens Nazon, Mohammed Rafi, Thongkhosiem Haokip, Farukh Chaudhary, Prasanth Karuthadathkuni
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