FC Goa will host Kerala Blasters FC at the Fatorda Stadium on December 3, Sunday, as the prime spot of the factors desk continues to shuffle between groups in the Indian Super League 2023-24.
Two months into the marketing campaign, the present ISL season has lastly entered one of its most crucial but delicate junctures. This is the section the place top-of-the-table groups, with little to separate them in phrases of expertise and temperament, conflict to construct distance from one another.
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Under related circumstances, Kerala Blasters FC journey to tackle the Gaurs, with two of the arguably most profound sides from the season promising to play an entertaining blockbuster for the followers at Fatorda. Manolo Marquez and Ivan Vukomanovic are two coaches who’ve carved an impeccable influence in the ISL ever since they stepped foot in the league.
The two tacticians had famously confronted off in the remaining of the 2021-22 marketing campaign, the place Marquez acquired the higher hand over Vukomanovic along with his Hyderabad FC unit. That was the closest that the Kerala Blasters got here to the ISL trophy that has eluded them since 2014.
However, the Serbian has regrouped his males to construct a probably title-profitable unit this time round. The Kochi-based membership has swept previous its opponents in the league up to now, however rather a lot of it’s also all the way down to them taking part in six out of their eight video games thus far at their dwelling floor.
Whether they create a bonus in their problem away from dwelling can be instrumental to them sustaining this unbelievable momentum they’ve generated up till now.
Their solely loss of the season got here in Mumbai in opposition to the Islanders, and they are going to be eager to keep away from any such end result in opposition to FC Goa on condition that the Gaurs are merely a degree behind them in the standings regardless of having performed two matches lesser than the Tuskers.
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Marquez acquired the proper personnel to unfold his concepts on the pitch, with FC Goa having taken the most pictures (76) from inside the field amongst all groups this season.
The presence of Odei Onaindia and Sandesh Jhingan carry in appreciable aerial menace from set items, with the group averaging three headed pictures in ISL 2023-24, once more the most when in comparison with all groups. The inevitability of their wins thus far has been as a consequence of their diversified methods of testing the opposition, whether or not it comes from some free-flowing passing strikes synonymous with Marquez or ruthless effectivity from free-kicks and corners.
With the good mix of expertise in the likes of Brandon Fernandes and Noah Sadaoui to the youthful unpredictability of Jay Gupta, FC Goa have ticked all bins in their pursuit of constructing the good ISL group.
Up in opposition to them is an equally pushed Kerala Blasters unit, and a victory right here is not going to solely be a morale booster for the Gaurs but additionally set the tone and expectations for each different group lined as much as sq. off in opposition to them subsequent.
Quite like FC Goa, Kerala Blasters FC have the phenomenal luxurious of banking upon a number of inventive forwards to deal with their aim-scoring wants. Vukomanovic was happy with Kwame Peprah becoming a member of the occasion in the 3-3 draw in opposition to Chennaiyin FC in the final fixture.
Whilst skipper Adrian Luna has led their cost with aplomb, different gamers like Dimitrios Diamantakos, Danish Farooq, and Peprah have chipped in constantly to supply collective and cohesive profitable efforts. That has resulted in the group recording the greatest differential between anticipated targets (9.38) and precise targets scored (13) this season (+3.62 xG worth).
The addition of Pritam Kotal has bolstered their backline and is delivering tangible outcomes, with the former Mohun Bagan Super Giant participant registering the most interceptions (16) by any participant in the league thus far. With such splendid synergy amongst all departments of the group, Kerala Blasters FC assure going toe to toe in this tussle in opposition to the dwelling facet.
“We created a lot of goal-scoring chances. We didn’t score and I felt from the bench that we didn’t have total control over the game. Even though they created fewer chances than us, my opinion was that we had to score before; if it happened in the first half then things could have been different in the second one. But, at least the team was clever. They played in the correct position and they improved with substitutions,” FC Goa head coach Manolo Marquez mirrored on the slender 1-0 win that his group managed over Jamshedpur FC in their final fixture. He pressured the significance of sustaining an absolute stronghold over the recreation, and it will likely be fascinating to see if that occurs in opposition to the Tuskers.
“I always look at these things as long-term things. In the first season in the bubble in Goa, after 10 games we were sitting at 17 points. Last year, after eight games we had fewer points than now. We look at this as a constant process to continue, especially from the start of the competition. In the long term we want to be a team that can always be at the top of the table, fighting for the top spots, not forgetting our goals as a club and as a team,” Kerala Blasters FC head coach Ivan Vukomanovic addressed the prospect of sealing their spot at the prime of the desk publish this match.
