ISL: Northeast United lock horns with out-of-form Kerala Blasters at home

The Yellow Army had a stellar first half of the campaign that put them in a strong position to finish in the top-six. Head coach Ivan Vukomanovic has now taken the club into the playoffs in all three seasons that he has been at the helm.

With three losses and a draw in their last five matches, they have dropped 11 points out of a possible 15. They lost to East Bengal FC 4-2 in Kochi in their previous encounter. KBFC has 30 points, having won nine matches, drawn three and lost eight games. They are at the fifth spot in the table.

On the other hand, the Highlanders are in the penultimate spot with 20 points but still have nine of them to play for in the remaining three games. They have won four matches, drawn eight and lost seven matches.

Realistically, they still can qualify for the playoffs, and that hope should keep them going especially against an out-of-form Kerala Blasters FC. However, they were handed a 4-1 humbling by Mumbai City FC in their last game, and it will be interesting to see the road to recovery that the Highlanders undertake to bounce back from that loss.

*Key Players to Watch Out

Mirshad Michu (NorthEast United FC)

Mirshad Michu has made 8.6 successful long passes per game since the start of 2024 in the Indian Super League, the highest such aggregate of all keepers. Michu has made 43 successful long passes in his five games this calendar year. He has made 14 punches, 20 catches, 32 clearances, and also made 172 recoveries. Michu has averaged 24 passes per game. Given that Kerala Blasters FC forwards are pretty lethal, the goalkeeper will be called up to action frequently, and his performances will be critical for a positive outcome for the Highlanders.

Dimitrios Diamantakos (Kerala Blasters FC)

Dimitrios Diamantakos has been consistently efficient for Kerala Blasters FC, having scored 13 goals and three assists in 17 appearances. 71.87 per cent of his shots have been directed on target, and he has averaged 18 passes per game at 73 per cent accuracy. Diamantakos has a goal conversion rate of 40.62 per cent and he has made 48 recoveries along with having won 53 duels too. The striker has made 65 touches in the box of the opposition, completed 10 successful dribbles, made 21 key passes, and has also created 24 goal-scoring opportunities to go with them.

*Head-to-Head

Played - 19

NorthEast United FC - 4

Kerala Blasters FC - 8

Draws - 7

Team Talk

"It is important to win and not draw. I watched all the goals that we have conceded this season and I think we have dropped 17-18 points so far. If we even got seven of those points, we would be fourth now," NorthEast United FC head coach Juan Pedro Benali said before the game as quoted by an ISL press release.

"It is always a very tough away game, far away from Kochi. We will see a couple of new names, couple of young players who will take their first steps in the ISL from this match," Kerala Blasters FC head coach Ivan Vukomanovic said in the pre-match press conference. (ANI)