ISL: Injury-hit Kerala Blasters face unbeaten Bengaluru FC

After a 13-day break, two southern rivals — Bengaluru FC and Kerala Blasters — will resume the Indian Super League action at the Sree Kanteerava Stadium on Saturday.
Kerala Blasters players train in Bengaluru ahead of Saturday’s game (File Photo | Shriram BN, EPS)
Kerala Blasters players train in Bengaluru ahead of Saturday’s game (File Photo | Shriram BN, EPS)

BENGALURU: After a 13-day break, two southern rivals — Bengaluru FC and Kerala Blasters — will resume the Indian Super League action at the Sree Kanteerava Stadium on Saturday. There are some points of concerns for the home team. Are their Indian stars fresh for the game? Will head coach Carles Cuadrat rest some of them? 

Bengaluru players including Gurpreet Singh Sandhu, Sunil Chhetri, Udanta Singh, Ashique Kuruniyan, Rahul Bheke and Nishu Kumar were involved in India’s last two World Cup qualifiers against Afghanistan and Oman. With both matches being played away in a space of five days, they hardly got much time to rest. It did not stop there as Bengaluru players were in the city the next day after the Oman game. They joined their club mates on Wednesday. 

Cuadrat is aware of how taxing it can be on his players, but painted a positive picture regarding their involvement. The ISL break came immediately after their first win of the tournament, against Chennaiyin FC. Chhetri’s men are, however, unbeaten, with their first three games ending in a draw. 

“I am always trying to be positive. There are two ways of looking at the fact that my players went on national duty. I like to look at it from the perspective that my players are staying active and learning new things. The calendar is what it is and it’s nothing that any club can do about it,” Cuadrat said. 

Kerala, on the other hand, are a fresher unit compared to their opponents. Sahal Abdul Samad was the lone representative from Kerala in the national team, meaning that the Yellow Army had ample rest for the all-important clash. But, it is not a bed of roses for Kerala with injuries being a major problem. Question marks hang over the fitness of key players, Mario Arques and Gianni Zuiverloon while Jairo Rodrigues is out injured.  

Though Kerala coach Eelco Schattorie has called upon his bench to grab their opportunity, he was mum on which players were unavailable. “Regarding injuries, I am not going to say much. The players, who are there for tomorrow, I am sure that they would give it their all. The team is not only about 11 players, there are other players, who need to step up when there are injuries. But, yes, I cannot play my strongest playing XI,” said the gaffer. 

Irrespective of the problems, it is a massive clash with the rivalry that exists between the two clubs. A win for Bengaluru would push them to top two while Kerala’s victory will help them land in top four. Erik Paartalu, who joined Bengaluru in 2017, is aware of the magnitude. “There are a lot of people who live in Bangalore who are from Kerala, so it adds a bit more to the rivalry. As players, we take each game as it comes. It’s for us to put on a spectacle,” said the midfielder.

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