The 2021-22 ISL final match between Kerala Blasters and Hyderabad FC is set to kick off today at PJN stadium, Goa.
While the both teams have their eyes on the maiden title, Kerala Blasters,having lost the previous two, will make their third appearance in the ISL finals.
The season 8 of the ISL will witness the first match with presence of a crowd to cheer whilst all other matches have been held in a behind the closed door manner. PJN stadium has seats for 19,000 fans and many will be watching the game streaming in hotstar.
Nizams made their way into the final finishing second in the table and defeating ATK in the semifinals(3-2 in aggregate). Hyderabad has laid all their hopes in their superstar and former Kerala Blasters player Bartholomew Ogbeche, who is also the top scorer of the league with 18 goals.
“The ISL final will be a tough game between two strong teams with very similar styles”, says Hycerabas FC’s Spanish manager Manolo Marquez.
“Kerala are a very strong side. They have had a season of up and downs with injuries to important players. But everyone who stepped up have played with a lot of confidence in every game.
“They have a similar style to our players, have experienced foreigners and quality Indian players, and will not be an easy side to face,” he added.
KBFC’s last final was in 2016, where they lost against Kolkata for the second time in a shootout, and their last 6 seasons were complete misery. Ivan Vukomanović, in the season 8, attempted complete structural change in KBFC’s game system and brought up an intense attacking football team. Vukomanović’s intense training method has made the news earlier.
Prabhshukan Singh Gill, GK for Kerala Blasters, commented “It’s non-stop, the intensity. When you train like that, matches… they just become easy!”.
Vukomanović mentioned in a statement how he introduced the coaching style and adapted it “Every coach in the world, you have your approach, your working style. After a couple of days, we decided, as a coaching staff [collective], to completely change our working style. You must be capable of adapting to the local environment, mentality and qualities. You cannot just demand certain things immediately. You have to modify.”
For the line-up, KBFC’s Sahal Abdul Samad and Adrian Luna’s presence are in doubt. Captain Luna had to attend medical treatment yesterday and Sahal practiced yesterday with the medical staff with his evaluation is under process.
Both team’s fans all over India are really excited about the match. Trains and buses to Goa are flooded with fans to see their team’s game in the final.
“We have one more fight left, and we want you (fans) to promise that you will be with us, in that number! Come sunday. I want each one of you to be yellow, in every street, home and the stadium”, Harmanjot Khabra, KBFC RB message to fans
