KOCHI/BENGALURU: The schedule for the final round of the Santosh Trophy are out and both Kerala and Karnataka — the two teams to have progressed from South Zone — have been handed tough draws. Kerala have been pooled with defending champions West Bengal, 2013 and 2014 semifinalists Maharashtra, North East powerhouse Manipur and an ever-improving Chandigarh in Group B of the tournament which will start in Kolkata from March 19. Group A will feature Karnataka take on current runners-up Goa, 2014 winners Mizoram, Odisha and Punjab.
The top two teams from each group will advance to the semifinals to be played on March 30 while the final of the 10-team affair is scheduled for April 1. Kerala head coach Satheevan Balan and captain Rahul V Raj feel the youngest-ever squad to represent the state have what it takes to push for a spot in the knockout stages of the prestigious tournament.
Kerala will open their campaign against Chandigarh on March 19 before facing Manipur on March 23, Maharashtra on March 25 and hosts Bengal on March 27. Kerala had qualified for the final phase after overcoming Tamil Nadu on goal difference in the south zone qualifiers last month. “You can’t complain about the quality of opposition once you reach the final round. We were expecting some difficult opponents and so it has turned out,” said defender Rahul. Coach Balan, who was previously coach of India U-19s, said all matches will be do-or-die as far as Kerala are concerned. “When you look at both groups, ours could be the Group of Death.
But that is no excuse for us and we will fight to reach the semifinal again,” Balan said. Kerala were knocked out in the last four by Goa last season. “Bengal are definitely the favourites and being the hosts will be an added advantage for them. Manipur meanwhile play a quick game and are technically better than us at the moment. Maharashtra and Chandigarh are the teams that look beatable, but we will still have our work cut out,” Balan said.
Karnataka in a pickle While Karnataka has a marginally easier draw than their neighbours, they have a whole different problem to deal with. As it stands, the I-League second division will clash with the Santosh Trophy and most of their players are either from Ozone FC or Bengaluru FC B. “We are in a tough group. Mizoram, Punjab and Goa are likely to pose a strong challenge. But what we need to focus is on the first game against Goa.
If we are able to win that match, it will be a confidence booster,” said Karnataka coach P Muralidharan. “However, all that depends on the availability of Bengaluru FC and Ozone FC players as I-League 2nd Division is starting from March 16. Karnataka State Football Association (KSFA) has requested both the clubs to write to AIFF and postpone or advance their matches. We are expecting a response by Saturday. If that doesn’t happen, I don’t think we stand a chance.”