ISL 2015: FC Goa vs Kerala Blasters - Preview, Live stream & TV channel info, Team News, Prediction

FC Goa face Kerala Blasters tonight at JLN Stadium, Fatorda. Zico will want his team to continue their winning momentum after a 3-1 victory in Guwahati. Kerala Blasters have experienced mixed form recently, winning one, drawing one and losing two of their last four games. This has led to Kerala sitting in sixth place, 5 points behind leaders FC Pune City in the Indian Super League.

Goa has got off to their best start compared to last season. They lost 4-0 against Chennaiyin FC but still sit fourth, one point ahead of Chennaiyin in the ISL standings.

Kickoff and Telecast

Kickoff: 19:00 IST

Venue: Fatorda Stadium, Margao – Goa.

Live Telecast: Star Sports 1 & 2, Star Sports HD1 & HD2

Live Streaming: starsports.com

Team News

Zico made a number of changes in the last away match against NorthEast United which did the trick for him and he will be looking to field a similar team to the one that won in Guwahati, albeit with a few forced changes. Goa will continue to miss the services of marquee player Lucio while Jofre and CS Sabeeth are also reported to be having niggling injuries and won’t be a part of the team today.

Narayan Das, returning from international duty, is expected to replace Debabrata Roy on the left side of the defence. Daryl Duffy is expected to start up front in the absence of Jofre while Mandar Rao Desai will fill the void left vacant by CS Sabeeth.

On the other hand, Kerala Blasters have problems in plenty. The team looked disjointed in the previous encounters and will find the going tough in Goa. They are expected to ring in a number of changes considering their lacklustre performance at home in the last game.

Only Stephen Bywater, Peter Ramage, Marcus Williams and CK Vineeth have looked good so far. Manandeep Singh has been poor up front and will most likely be replaced by Mohammad Rafi, who will partner Chris Dagnall in attack.

The Kerala Blasters midfield has shown little creativity in the previous encounters and we could see wholesale changes in this department. Josu Currias could find a place in the starting eleven. Cavin Lobo, CK Vineeth and Carlos Marchena could get another chance to prove themselves. The 3-man backline for Kerala Blasters has been the only positive this season, with Peter Ramage, Marcus Williams and Sandesh Jhingan expected to keep their place in the starting lineup.

Probable Lineups

FC Goa (4-1-3-2): Kattimani, Luciano, Gregory Arnolin, Narayan Das, Keenan Almeida, Bikramjit Singh, J. Lucca, Leo Moura, Mandar Desai, Daryl Duffy, Reinaldo

Kerala Blasters (4-1-3-2): Bywater, CK Vineeth, Williams, Rahul Bheke, Sandesh Jhingan, Ramage, Josu Currias, Carlos Marchena, Cavin Lobo, Mohammad Rafi, Chris Dagnall

Likely Starting XIs

Key Battles

Gregory Arnolin vs Chris Dagnall

Arnolin has been the pillar of strength at the back for FC Goa along with Lucio, the only blemish being a 4-0 thrashing at the hands of Chennaiyin FC. He did well in the last match in the absence of Lucio and will be expected to lead the defence.

He has a very commanding presence at the back, especially in the air, but lacks a bit of pace. And this is exactly what Kerala Blasters will be looking to exploit through Chris Dagnall. Dagnall has been subdued thus far but has vast experience playing in English football. Both players are well built and we can expect a stiff contest between the two.

Jofre vs Peter Ramage

Jofre has been a standout performer for FC Goa till now, contributing immensely in the attacking third for Goa. He was one of Zico's top picks for this season signing him from last year’s champions Atletico de Kolkata. And he has lived up to the expectations and repaid the faith shown by coach Zico. He has looked comfortable with the ball and has the desired fitness levels to last the full 90 minutes.

He will come up against another gritty player in the Kerala defence in Peter Ramage. Ramage has been solid at the back and has been one of the few standout performers in this otherwise weak Kerala team. He has a lot of experience of playing in the English top flight and will be a difficult nut to crack.

Prediction

FC Goa 1-0 Kerala Blasters