ISL Matchday 5: Makeshift Kerala Blasters face uphill task to stop strong Atlético de Kolkata attack

The finalists of season one of the Indian Super League face off in what has always been a high-profile clash between two teams representing two of the football-craziest regions in India. In the 2014 final, Atlético de Kolkata had edged Kerala Blasters 1-0 courtesy of Mohammad Rafi's injury-time strike.

Kerala were very poor in their 1-0 defeat against NorthEast in the ISL 3 opener. The franchise's flawed selection policy was the subject of discussion as Steve Coppell has only one recognised fullback in his squad; Rino Anto's commitment to Bengaluru FC means that Kerala will be without any genuine fullbacks heading into this match.

Coppell opted to start with a 3-4-3 in the previous match, but will surely revert to a back four as marquee player Aaron Hughes of Northern Ireland has been called up for international duty by manager Michael O' Neill. This means Sandesh Jhingan will partner Cedric Hengbart, with Coppell forced to field Ishfaq Ahmed and Gurwinder Singh, neither of whom were good enough in the last match as makeshift fullbacks.

Michael Chopra, who was on the bench in the last match may start on the right of the front three, with Antonio German expected to lead the line for the blasters. Eighteen-year-old Vinit Rai, who showed glimpses of quality in the last match should be in line for another start alongside Josu Currias and veteran Indian midfielder Mehtab Hossain.

For Atlético de Kolkata, it was their defence which let them down in the last match as they conceded soft goals to draw 2-2 against Chennaiyin FC at home. The fact that the Rabindra Sarobar stadium was half-empty did not help them either, but they will be quietly confident against a Blasters team lacking in depth.

Jose Molina has the league's most destructive attack at his disposal with marquee Helder Postiga as the main striker, ISL's top goalscorer Iain Hume playing as an advanced No. 10, with speedy wingers Javi Lara and Sameehg Doutie either side of him.

Borja Fernandez is expected to sit the deepest in midfield screening the centre-back pairing of Tiri and Indian international Arnab Mondal, flanked by Robert Lalthlamuana and Pritam Kotal on the wings.

Kerala will have home support for this match, but it will be a tough task for the patched-up defence to contend with the likes of Postiga, Hume, Lara and Doutie. Should ATK sneak an early goal, they could run riot in Kochi.

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: Kerala Blasters 2 - 3 Atlético de Kolkata, November 10, 2015, at the Jawaharlal Nehru International Stadium, Kochi

Head-to-head: Matches played: 5. Kerala wins: 1, Atlético wins: 3, Draws: 1

Key battles

Sameehg Doutie vs Ishfaq Ahmed: Doutie, 27, who signed midway through season two is on his way to becoming one of the best all-time imports of the Indian Super League. The pacy South African winger can dribble, is able to confuse the opposition with his mazy runs and is a goal threat with deadly finishing skills as seen in the last match against Chennaiyin.

Ishfaq, a 33-year-old winger by trade, has been forced to play at left-back due to a lack of full-backs in the Kerala squad and could be in for another long evening after he was given the runaround by Halicharan Narzary in Kerala's last match. Doutie will be a much tougher proposition than Narzary.

Sandesh Jhingan vs Helder Postiga: The ISL has been the making of Jhingan with the tall centre-back from Punjab recognised as the league's emerging player in its first season. Last season wasn't so kind to Jhingan who finished last with the Blasters.

Postiga, the 33-year-old Portuguese marquee, oozes class and will prove to be a tough test for the Indian national team centre-back, who is excellent in the air. Postiga is highly intelligent and will look to bring Hume into the game as Hengbart and Jhingan will have to shut out ATK's deadly strike duo to stand any chance of getting a point from this game.

Squads

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.

Atlético de Kolkata: Shilton Paul, Debjit Majumder, Dani Mallo Castro, Tiri, Arnab Mondal, Pritam Kotal, Kinshuk Debnath, Prabir Das, Pablo Gallardo, Robert Lalthlamuana, Borja Fernandez, Ofentse Nato, Javier 'Javi' Lara Grande, Sameehg Doutie, Stephen Pearson, Bikash Jairu, Bikramjit Singh, Lalrindika Ralte, Sheikh Jewel Raja, Abhinash Ruidas, Bidyananda Singh, Helder Postiga, Iain Hume, Juan Belencoso.