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Kerala Blasters will take on East Bengal in the first match of the Hero Indian Super League (ISL) 2022-23 at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Kochi on Friday, October 7.
Both sides had contrasting ISL 2021-22 campaigns. The Blasters finished fourth and ended the season as runner-up, while East Bengal finished bottom of the pile with only one win in 20 matches.
East Bengal hit the reset button by appointing former India head coach Stephen Constantine as their new manager leading up to the season. With plenty of experienced overseas players from the ISL joining their lineup, they look like a confident side.
The Blasters, meanwhile, have a more settled unit at their disposal and will look to start the season on a winning note.
Squads to Choose from
Kerala Blasters
Goalkeepers: Prabhsukhan Singh Gill, Karanjit Singh, Sachin Suresh, and Muheet Shabir Khan.
Defenders: Harmanjot Khabra, Marko Leskovic, Ruivah Hormipam, Jessel Carneiro, Nishu Kumar, Sandeep Singh, Bijoy-V, and Victor Mongil.
Midfielders: Adrian Nicolas Luna Retamar, Sahal Abdul Samad, Jeakson Singh, Lalthathanga Khawlhring, Ayush Adhikari, Givson Singh, Vibin Mohanan, Ivan Kaliuzhnyi, Bryce Miranda, Nihal Sudeesh, and Saurav Mandal.
Forwards: Apostolous Giannou, Dimitris Diamantakos, Rahul KP, Bidyashagar Singh, and MS Sreekuttan.
East Bengal
Goalkeepers: Kamaljit Singh, Naveen Kumar, and Pawan Kumar.
Defenders: Charalambos Kyriakou, Ivan Garrido Gonzalez, Jerry Lalrinzuala, Sarthak Golui, Mohamad Rakip, Pritam Singh, Ankit Mukherjee, Lalchungnunga, Tuhin Das, and Nabi Khan.
Midfielders: Alexandre Lima, Souvik Chakrabarti, Aniket Jadhav, Jordan O'Doherty, Mobashir Rahman, VP Suhair, Wahengbam Angousana-Luwang, and Amarjit Singh.
Forwards: Cleiton Silva, Semboi Haokip, Eliandro dos Santos, Sumeet Passi, Naorem Mahesh Singh, and Himanshu Jangra.
Predicted Playing XIs
Kerala Blasters (4-4-2)
Prabhsukhan Gill, Harmanjot Khabra, Marko Leskovic, Ruivah Hormipam, Jessel Carneiro, Adrian Luna, Sahal Abdul Samad, Ivan Kaliuzhnyi, Jeakson Singh, Dimitris Diamantakos, and Rahul KP.
East Bengal (4-2-3-1)
Kamaljit Singh, Charalambos Kyriakou/Mohamad Rakip, Ivan Garrido Gonzalez, Lalchungnunga, Jerry Lalrinzuala, Alexandre Lima, Souvik Chakrabarti, Jordan O'Doherty, VP Suhair, Sumeet Passi, and Cleiton Silva.
Match Details
Match: Kerala Blasters vs East Bengal
Date: October 7, 2022
Venue: Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, Kochi.
Kerala Blasters vs East Bengal Dream11 Fantasy Suggestions
It's hard to predict how a side's first match of the season will go down, given the many changes that have taken place between the two campaigns. While the more settled Kerala Blasters could have a slight edge, Stephan Constantine's East Bengal look up to the fight heading into this contest. Hence, it is better to go with a balanced side for this match.
Marko Leskovic and Ivan Gonzalez are the constants in defense, given the consistency in their performances. The same can be said about Kerala Blasters' Adrian Luna in midfield. Australian midfielder Jordan O'Doherty could also become a key player for East Bengal.
Cleiton Silva and Dimitris Diamantakos are the two overseas players likely to start up front from either side. Their penchant for scoring goals makes them good captaincy options. Other captaincy punts include Luna, Doherty, and Leskovic.
Fantasy Suggestion #1: Prabhsukhan Singh Gill, Harmanjot Khabra, Marko Leskovic, Jerry Lalrinzuala, Ivan Garrido Gonzalez, Alexandre Lima, Jordan O'Doherty, Adrian Nicolas Luna Retamar, Sahal Abdul Samad, Cleiton Silva, and Dimitris Diamantakos.
Captain: Cleiton Silva. Vice-Captain: Adrian Luna
Fantasy Suggestion #2: Kamaljit Singh, Marko Leskovic, Ruivah Hormipam, Jessel Carneiro, Ivan Garrido Gonzalez, Jordan O'Doherty, Adrian Nicolas Luna Retamar, Souvik Chakrabarti, Cleiton Silva, Sumeet Passi, and Dimitris Diamantakos.
Captain: Dimitris Diamantakos. Vice-Captain: Cleiton Silva.
