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Kerala Blasters FC will aim to make another statement in the ISL when they face southern rivals Bengaluru FC at the Sree Kanteerava Stadium on Saturday, March 2.
After enduring a five-game losing streak across competitions, the Blasters bounced back with a stunning comeback victory over FC Goa. Despite trailing by two goals in the first half, Dimitrios Diamantakos inspired a turnaround, scoring a brace alongside goals from Fedor Cernych and Daisuke Sakai to secure a 4-2 win.
This result kept Kerala Blasters in contention for the ISL Shield, as they currently sit only six points behind leaders Odisha FC with a game in hand.
Despite facing several injuries since the start of the year, Ivan Vukomanovic has managed to find solutions to keep his team within touching distance of the title. They will seek to carry that momentum into crucial fixtures ahead.
"In this fixture somehow it happens that the home team is always the favourite,” Vukomanovic said during the pre-match press conference. "But we are in the last phase of the competition and every game whether home or away is going to be tough."
On the other hand, Bengaluru FC are competing for the coveted final playoff spot. Currently placed ninth in the table, a victory would propel them to sixth and one point ahead of Jamshedpur FC.
Under Gerard Zaragoza’s leadership, Bengaluru have been formidable at home, winning three out of their four games. But this fixture notably generated controversy last season when Sunil Chhetri’s quickly taken free-kick sparked heated debates, ultimately eliminating Kerala Blasters from the playoffs.
Another intense encounter between the two sides can be anticipated, as the stakes are incredibly high for both teams.
“I don’t really need to tell these boys about emotion, the players are ready to play brave and compete. They know exactly what it means to play this game against this club. A lot of people are talking about us, they don’t respect BFC - they don’t respect Kanteerava. They need to know that out of the last 12 points, we’ve taken 10 at home. They are saying this is not the Fortress, and that’s far from the truth,” Zaragoza said.
Bengaluru FC vs Kerala Blasters FC: Head-to-head record
Matches played: 16
BFC wins: 8
KBFC wins: 4
Draws: 4
Result in the previous fixture: Kerala Blasters FC 2-1 Bengaluru FC
Bengaluru FC vs Kerala Blasters FC: Top goalscorers in 2023-24 season
Bengaluru FC: Javi Hernandez (4 goals in 16 games)
Kerala Blasters FC: Dimitrios Diamantakos (10 goals in 13 games)
Bengaluru FC vs Kerala Blasters FC: Stats and numbers from the 2023-24 Indian Super League season
Most saves: Gurpreet Singh Sandhu (55), Sachin Suresh (34)
Most assists: Sunil Chhetri (3), Adrian Luna (5)
Most shots per 90 mins: Sunil Chhetri (2.6), Kwame Peprah (3.0)
Most clearances: Aleksandar Jovanovic (52), Milos Drincic (63)
