In what promises to be yet another thriller this year, SC East Bengal will face Kerala Blasters FC today at the Tilak Maidan, Vasco, Goa. Both the teams are currently on a better form and it’s going to be really hard to predict today’s winner.
Since the second half of the season, the home side SC East Bengal have been having a good time under their Head Coach Robbie Fowler. The Red & Golds remains undefeated in their last five matches, they have also defeated a strong side like Bengaluru FC in a 1-0 margin in their previous match. The entry of new players through the January transfer window proved to provide a major boost to the torchbearers and the impact is visible through the team’s results.
Analyzing the away side, Kerala Blasters are coming from a victory against Jamshedpur FC in a 2-3 margin. The Men-in-Yellow displayed a great fighting spirit as they fought and acquired the win with 10 men on the field, after Lalruatthara being subjected to the red card. Kibu Vicuña’s boys look promising in attacks but defence is still one of the major concern and weak point for them.
3 Indian Players To Watchout For
The Yellow Army’s custodian Albino is solid behind the sticks and plays a crucial role in Kibu Vicuña’s tactics as most of the attacks are initiated from the foot of the keeper. Albino records for an 89.5% penalty save ratio as he saved 3/4 penalties he faced. The former u17 World-Cup goalscorer Jeakson Singh is currently on top form as he displays great sync with the Spaniard Vicente Gómez in the midfield. Jeakson Singh was the saviour of Yellow Army as his last-minute header goal against the Red & Gold helped them escape from tasting the bitter sour of failure making him a man to watch out for tonight.
The new addition Raju Gaikwad currently displays a solid performance in the SC East Bengal defence. Raju Gaikwad is famous for his long throw, making him dangerous in throw-ins in the opposition half. Raju Gaikwad’s solid performance in the defence line has been essential for the Red & Golds and the defender will be surely looking forward to maintaining a clean sheet tonight.
3 Foreign Players to watchout for
The Ex-Wolverhampton wonderkid Bright Enobakhare proved to be an impactful signing for the torchbearers as he has been displaying a brilliant performance under the Head Coach Robbie Fowler in the second half of the season ever since he signed for the club. The young Nigerian scored two goals in his three appearances for the Red & Golds and the fans will be eyeing on his goalscoring boots tonight. The left midfielder Jacques Maghoma has been pulling out a consistent series of good performances in the SC East Bengal outfit so far. Maghoma has scored three goals and assisted one in his 10 appearances for the torchbearers so far.
The 25-year-old young Aussie Striker Jordan Murray has stepped up to the expectations of the Head Coach Kibu Vicuña and the Yellow Army fans by his brilliant display up front. The skipper scored two vital goals against Jamshedpur FC in their last match and ensured a thrilling win for the Yellow Army. Surely, the fans and the coach would be depending on the goal-scoring capability of Jordan to ensure a win tonight.
SC East Bengal vs Kerala Blasters FC
head-to-head
The Red & Golds and the Men-in-Yellow have fought against each other only once and that too in the reverse fixture this season. The match ended in 1-1 draw in an account of the own goal by Bakary Koné and last-minute heading equalizer by Jeakson Singh.
Injuries and Team News
Good news for the Red & Golds as their 32-year-old winger Anthony Pilkington is all fit and raring to go. The winger is mostly expected to come in as a substitute in the second half tonight. The Burkina Faso International Bakary Koné is least expected to start as he was subjected to an injury but the Yellow Army can expect him on bench tonight.
Kerala Blasters FC’s young defender Lalruatthara will miss out today’s action in light of the red card suspension from the previous match. The new replacement signing Juande is expected to be on the bench tonight and there are also chances for the player to feature in starting XI tonight.
Predicted Line-Ups
SC East Bengal
Predicted XI (3-4-3): Debjit Majumder; Scott Neville, Raju Gaikwad, Danny Fox, Ankit Mukherjee, Matti Steinmann, Milan Singh, Narayan Das, Bright Enobakhare, Harmanpreet Singh, Jacques Maghoma
Kerala Blasters
Predicted XI (4-4-2): Albino Gomes; Nishu Kumar, Sandeep Singh, Costa Nhamoinesu, Jessel Carneiro, Vicente Gómez, Jeakson Singh, Sahal Abdul Samad, Facundo Pereyra, Gary Hooper, Jordan Murray
Predicted Result
With both the sides on a good run of form and having equal chances to turn around the results, it will be really hard to predict today’s winner. We expect the match to turn out to be a 2-2 draw tonight.
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