A semis berth is up for grabs on Tuesday in the ISL 2016 as Atletico de Kolkata and Kerala Blasters once again clash swords in a traditional rivalry in the Indian Super League. It all started in the ISL 2014 final when the two teams went into loggerheads in a thrilling match where the Kolkata side came out as the victor and in the process, as the inaugural champions of the Indian Super League. LIVE UPDATES HERE....
At the moment, both teams are level on 18 points in the ISL 2016 points table, with two league games remaining. A win for either team could almost seal their berth in the semi final for the season.
The venue remains the Rabindra Sarobar Stadium in Kolkata, a place Kerala Blasters have never played at before. However, taking into account their recent form, a lot can be expected from the Sachin Tendulkar co-owned side. Sourav Ganguly, nevertheless, will make sure his side join Mumbai City FC as the other team in the ISL 2016 semi finals, tonight itself.
For the home side, however, injuries could play a vital roadblock against Kerala Blasters. "We have many injury problems, some players are in doubt for the game," ATK coach Jose Molina said ahead of the match. "Sameehg Doutie is also in doubt because yesterday he had a little fever which is not good.
"Lalrindika Ralte, Bidyananda Singh and Henrique Sereno are also in doubt and we will have to see in training who will be the best possible players to start the game," the Spaniard added.
ATK marquee player Helder Postiga, however, remains confident. "We will focus on getting three points because that's our goal but we know it's not gonna be easy since Kerala Blasters is a good team but we will try to get the win, all of us have been given this responsibility and we will try to win," the Portugal football veteran said.
In comparison to Kerala's three wins from last four games, Kolkata have just one win from their previous four games. Will that be an advantage for the away side? "Let's be honest I don't think it [ATK's recent record] has any impact on the game and the significance of the three points are important for both teams," said Kerala Blasters coach Steve Coppell. "I think Kolkata has some very powerful forwards and we will have to be at our best against them."
Head to head record
Kerala 1-4 Kolkata (one game drawn)
Schedule
Atletico de Kolkata vs Kerala Blasters is scheduled to kick off at 7 pm IST (2.30 pm BST) on November 29.
Where to watch live
India: TV - Star Sports 1/HD1, Star Sports 2/HD2, Star Sports 3/HD3
Star Gold, Star Utsav (Hindi)
Jalsha Movies (Bengali)
Asianet Movies (Malayalam)
Asianet Suvarna Plus (Kannada)
Live streaming - Hotstar.
Europe: TV - Star Gold
Australia, USA: TV - Fox Sports
Canada: TV - CBN, ATN Bangla
Bangladesh: TV - Channel 9
South-East Asia: TV - Eurosport
Live score - Twitter
