In an attempt to end their Durand Cup 2023 group-stage campaign on a high, Kerala Blasters FC are eyeing to secure a victory as they face off against the Indian Air Force Football Team at East Bengal Ground, Kolkata on Monday.
The Blasters have had an underwhelming start to the tournament and are winless so far. They slumped to a defeat against fellow Kerala rivals Gokulam Kerala FC in their opener and followed it up with a draw against Bengaluru FC Colts in a high-octane match. Hence, they are already out of contention to make it through to the playoffs.
Meanwhile, the Indian Air Force team commenced their campaign with a 0-2 loss against Gokulam Kerala FC, followed by a 1-1 draw against Bengaluru FC. Operating with a nothing-to-lose attitude, they will be eager to cause an upset against the Blasters.
Kerala Blasters FC vs Indian Air Force: Team News
Kerala Blasters FC: Lara Sharma, Karanjit Singh, Sachin Suresh, Muhammed Jaseen, Pritam Kotal, Prabir Das, Hormipam Ruivah, Marko Leskovic, Bijoy Varghese, Muhammed Shaeef, Sandeep Singh, Naocha Singh, Jeakson Singh, Danish Farooq, Vibin Mohanan, Mohammed Azhar, Saurav Mandal, Bryce Miranda, Nihal Sudeesh, Mohammed Aimen, Yoihenba Meitei, Adrian Luna, Dimitrios Diamantakos, Emmanuel Justine, Rahul Kannoly Praveen, Bidyashagar Singh.
Indian Air Force: Shibinraj Kunniyil, Dinesh, Subhajit Basu, Amal Das, Mohd Aqib, Arashpreet Singh, Kamaldeep Singh, Davinder Singh, Jijo Jerone, Ashik Rahman, Saurav Mowal, Ankur Singh, Mohammad Danish, Saurav Sadhukan, Ashok Kumar, Zeesan Ansari, Somananda Singh, Ameer Chhetri, Langkhatlian Suantak, Mandeep Singh, Zico Zorem Sanga, Vivek Kumar, Yashraj Singh, Jineesh Vinaya.
Kerala Blasters FC vs Indian Air Force: Telecast and live-stream details
The Durand Cup match between Kerala Blasters FC and Indian Air Force will be broadcast on Sony Sports 2 and Sony Sports 2 HD TV channels from 3.00 pm IST on Monday. It will also be streamed on SonyLiv.
Kerala Blasters FC vs Indian Air Force: Prediction
On paper, Kerala Blasters are outright favorites. However, as they have shown in the past few matches, there are plenty of visible frailties in multiple positions and Indian Air Force might have an opportunity to exploit them.
Prediction: Kerala Blasters FC 3-1 Indian Air Force