ISL 2019-20: 5 things to look out for in the first week

After an off-season that lasted more than six months, the Indian Super League will finally spring back to life this Sunday, with Kerala Blasters taking on ATK in the 2019-20 curtain raiser.

The action will shift to Bengaluru following the opening act, where defending champions Bengaluru FC will clash against their semi-final opponents from the previous season, NorthEast United FC. Jamshedpur FC, who missed out on the play-off spots by two points, will be eager to start on a winning note when they host Odisha FC.

A hard-and-fast FC Goa will entertain a completely revamped Chennaiyin FC before Mumbai City FC kickstart their ISL campaign against Eelco Schattorie's Kerala Blasters away from home. The week will finally end with debutants Hyderabad FC, playing their maiden ISL match against two-time defending champions, ATK.

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#5 Chennaiyin look to end their opening week jinx and Bengaluru FC hope to continue their spree

Chennaiyin FC will face FC Goa in their opening encounter.

If opening week results are anything to go by, then Chennaiyin FC should be the most worried. The Marina Machans have failed to win their opening ISL fixture in the last four editions of the tournament. Last season, they got pipped 1-0 by Bengaluru FC and 2-3 by FC Goa before that. In the 2016 season, they held ATK 2-2 but lost to them a year before by an identical margin with which they lost to Goa. The only opening week match which they won, co-incidentally, was against FC Goa whom they beat 2-1 in 2014.

A refurbished foreign contingent led by defensive rock Lucian Goian will take on the Gaurs, who have not signed any new foreigners, and registered only six of them for the season. However, Sergio Lobera has his main core of players from last season and he will be looking to right the wrongs this time around.

Bengaluru FC should be happy if the trend of first week result continues. Till now, they are the only club to have won both of their opening matches. In the 2017-18 season, they announced themselves to the ISL in style by beating Mumbai City FC 2-0 in a one-sided encounter.

A year later, they beat Chennaiyin before going on an 11-match unbeaten run. This time, Carles Cuadrat and his boys will host dark horse NorthEast United FC, who are backed by a new coach Robert Jarni and led by Ghanian hero, Asamoah Gyan.

#4 Two new teams set sail into ISL waters

Odisha FC have a relatively inexperienced side.

Bengaluru FC and Jamshedpur FC were the two new entrants in the fourth season of ISL. Two years later, it will be Hyderabad FC and Odisha FC's turn to take on that mantle. However, the squad remains mostly the same as that of FC Pune City and Delhi Dynamos, respectively both of whom have disbanded their senior-team operations.

Hyderabad FC will be the last club to begin their ISL campaign when they travel to Kolkata to face a strong-looking ATK side on Friday, October 25th. Phil Brown's FC Pune City held ATK in a 2-2 draw last time out but with Antonio Lopez Habas at the helm of the Kolkata side, things may turn out in a different manner.

Odisha FC will begin their campaign away from home against Jamshedpur FC on Tuesday. The Red Miners, too, have a new coach in their ranks in the form of Antonio Iriondo, who has managed 12 different clubs in Spain and brings a wealthy experience of 25 years. Odisha's side is mainly made up of the players at Delhi Dynamos and Josep Gombau will be eager to improve from their last outing.

#3 New big-name foreigners to open their ISL account

Roy Krishna was A-League's top scorer last season.

Every new ISL season brings with it a new set of foreign players who bring a completely different level of charisma alongside them.

The case is no different this time as the onus rests on the likes of Roy Krishna and Asamoah Gyan to deliver for ATK and NorthEast United FC, respectively. Other star foreign players to keep an eye on are Nerijus Valskis (Chennaiyin FC), Giles Barnes (Hyderabad FC), Raphael Messi Bouli (Kerala Blasters) and Amine Chermiti (Mumbai City FC), all of whom have represented their nation in the international stage.

Last season saw the likes of Tim Cahill and Bartholomew Ogbeche becoming fan-favourites for the Red Miners and the Highlanders even before the inception of the tournament. However, other foreign players like the Kerala Blasters' Matej Poplatnik and Slavisla Stojanovic crumbled under the pressure and failed to deliver.

Will the new collection be a hit among the fans or go down as signings who failed to click? We'll find out soon enough.

#2 Two early home games for a revamped Kerala Blasters to prove their worth

Eelco Schattorie's been trusted to take Kerala Blasters to the top of ISL.

Kerala Blasters were quick to make changes to their squad after last season saw them pick up only two victories. Distraught with the results, their vociferous fans even boycotted home games. Their new coach Eelco Schattorie has pleaded with them not to repeat it and wants the fans to be their twelfth man.

In a short league like ISL, two early home games should be enough to figure out whether the club will experience a change in fortunes or traverse the same downhill path. As, for their new players, it remains to be seen if they have had enough time to get used to life in Kerala.

Kerala Blasters have a completely overhauled squad with a good mix of local players. First up though will be ATK, who are no pushovers. Mumbai City FC will be next and with Jorge Costa's team having beaten the Blasters handsomely last season, the Dutchman would look forward to get revenge for his new side.

#1 Indian players look to get past their abject outing against Bangladesh

The Indian national team should benefit from ISL in the year of FIFA World Cup Qualifiers.

The Indian players were nowhere near their best in the tie against Bangladesh and much of that blame has been put on the off-season. The long lay-off also meant others couldn't prove their worth as Igor Stimac didn't have a crop of players who had been playing regularly in the build-up to the match.

However, with the ISL set for a grand launch, the Indian players have to up their game. The ones who admire only the national team should keep an eye on Bengaluru FC's matches as five players who started against Bangladesh- Sunil Chhetri, Ashique Kuruniyan, Udanta Singh, Rahul Bheke, and Gurpreet Singh Sandhu- will take on NorthEast United in the opening week.

Mumbai City FC had four players from the 23-member squad while FC Goa, Hyderabad FC, and ATK have three each. ISL is also known for producing exciting youngsters, who go on to leave their mark on national team later, like Sandesh Jhingan in 2014.

After beginning the FIFA World Cup Qualifiers on an underwhelming note, the ISL couldn't come at a better time for the national team players to regain their form.