NEW DELHI: It is crunch time in the race to qualify for the knockout stage. Two teams have already booked their berths while eight teams are fighting it out among themselves to fill the remaining two slots. On Tuesday at the Tilak Maiden stadium, Kerala Blasters FC will look to keep their slim chances alive while Hyderabad FC will seek to avoid any further slip-ups.
Hyderabad, who were inside the top four for most of the ISL season, find themselves fifth with three games remaining. They are level on points (24) with fourth-placed FC Goa and two points below NorthEast United FC in third. Kerala, on the other hand, are tenth with 16 points from 17 games and only a win can keep them in the race.
Kibu Vicuna's team have struggled defensively throughout the campaign, having shipped 29 goals, the second-most in the league. In another concerning statistic, they have dropped 18 points after scoring first. "We are working with the players we have. I don't like excuses. It's true we have a lack of balance, especially in the second round," the Spaniard commented.
Kerala will take heart from the fact that earlier in the season, they grabbed their first win of the campaign against the same opposition, a 2-0 win.
The Nizams are unbeaten in nine games. They grabbed a last-gasp draw against SC East Bengal in their previous encounter. Manuel Marquez will be hoping to see a more clinical display this time around.
"We are going to play the last three games with the aim of winning and we know it will be down to NorthEast, Goa and Hyderabad for the remaining two slots," the former Las Palmas coach said.
Plenty of drama can be expected when these two sides meet, as both have a habit of conceding late in matches. While the Blasters have conceded 14 out of 22 in the second 45 minutes, Hyderabad have let in 16, the second-most among all teams.