Kerala Blasters will take on Odisha FC in the Boxing Day fixture of Hero ISL season 9 at Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, Kochi. This game will mark the start of the second phase of the season for both teams as they have finished the first 10 matches beforehand.
KBFC had a 1-1 draw against Chennaiyin FC in their last game which halted the 5-match winning streak of the Blasters. With 19 points from 10 matches KBFC is sitting at 5th position whereas Odisha is in 6th position with the same number of points but an inferior goal difference. They played against ATK Mohun Bagan FC in their last match, which also ended in a stalemate.
When the last time these two sides met, at Odisha’s home, it turned out to be a tough night for men in yellow. They went down to the Kalinga warriors for 2 goals to 1, even though it was KBFC who took the lead in the first half, Pedro Martin’s late goal offered them the victory at Bhubaneswar. Harmanjot Khabra was on the score sheet that day.
QUICK RUN DOWN
Kerala have a slight edge over Odisha as they have won 7 out of 19 matches and Odisha have won 5, including the latest meeting which happened earlier in this season. Points were shared on 7 occasions.
KEY PLAYERS TO WATCH OUT
Sahal Abdul Samad who scored a brace earlier this season against NEUFC made it into the scoresheet as he scored a delicate goal against Chennaiyin FC last week. He now has 10 ISL goals to his name.Ivan Kaliuzhnyi was pivotal in the middle of the park. He also provided the assist to Sahal’s goal, which showed his quality on the ball and his vision of the game.Marko Leskovic had a good outing against Chennaiyin last Monday. He was strong and steady in the defense and denied Marina Machans many times.
WHERE TO WATCH
The live streaming will be available on Disney+ Hotstar, Jio TV, Star Sports network and Asianet Plus. Live updates will be provided through club’s twitter account as well.
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