Kerala Blasters will be taking on the might of FC Goa in an Indian Super League (ISL) 2015 encounter at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Kochi on Sunday.
FC Goa will be looking to qualify for the ISL 2015 semi finals by beating Kerala Blasters in the latters' backyard on Sunday.
On the other hand, Kerala Blasters' performance in the ISL 2015 has led many to believe they will not end up among the final four. But there's still a mathematical chance for the Blasters to make it to the semi finals. To do so, they will have to win both their games by a handsome margin.
FC Goa have had some tough away games recently. They were thrashed by Atletico de Kolkata 4-0 and thereafter drew against Northeast United FC in their last game. Now, they are in Kochi to battle it out against the Blasters.
"We have not qualified yet, so every player has to ensure that we qualify. We are going to search for victory in the two games we have. If we win tomorrow, maybe we can rest players in our last game of the league stage," said FC Goa assistant coach Fernando Vannucci on Saturday.
"Kerala are a very dangerous team. They are always looking to attack and score goals when they have the ball. This is also our style of playing the game. That is why even when we are losing we are still looking for a result. This is our style of play. All our tactics will be validated only if we win the match."
It has always been difficult for opponents to beat the home side at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Kochi. The fans are right behind their team, and that kind of revs up the energy quotient of the players as well.
The last time these two sides met at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Fatorda, Goa, the Gaurs got the better of the Blasters by 2-1. FC Goa will have the chance to make it two-in-two against Kerala Blasters on Sunday.
The Blasters can spoil the party for teams also looking to qualify for the semi final of the ISL 2015. This is their last home game and they would want to finish the league stage at home on a high note. But it will not be a cakewalk for Terry Phelan and his men in yellow. They will have to be at their sublime best to outclass the Goa outfit on Sunday in front of a capacity crowd.
"Players at the back have had a lapse of concentration, which has been tough on them. If we play five at the back, people will say we're defensive and if we play three, it is the other way round. We want to go forward in the end, enjoy football and score goals," said Phelan at the pre-match press conference on Saturday.
"To win, you have to score goals and stop conceding cheap ones like we did. You can't do that against poor sides, never mind the good ones. That's the disappointment. We have experienced international players and I don't think anyone lacks any steel.
"Everyone has played at the highest of levels, and sometimes we've played our best games by creating a lot of chances. We have to be positive going forward."
Where to watch live:
Kerala Blasters vs FC Goa is scheduled for a 7 pm IST (2:30 pm BST, 9:30 am ET) start. The channels in India that will show this ISL 2015 Match 15 live are Star Sports 2, Star Sports HD2, Star Sports 3, Star Sports HD3, Star Utsav, Star Gold (both Hindi), Asianet Movies (Malayalam), Jaya Max (Tamil), Suvarna TV (Kannada) and Jalsha Movies (Bengali). The ISL 2015 match can also be watched via live streaming online (free) in India, and over a 100 countries, on Hotstar and Starsports.com.
The viewers in the UK, South East Asia, including Singapore and Hong Kong, can watch Kerala Blasters vs FC Goa live on Star Gold, while the audience in Canada can watch the Indian Super League 2015 game live on CBN and ATN.
Eurosport will show the Indian Super League match live in Europe and South East Asia, while the Kerala Blasters vs FC Goa match can also be live streamed on Eurosport Player. The viewers in Sub Saharan Africa can watch the ISL 2015 game live on Zuku and SuperSport.
Middle East and North Africa viewers will be able to catch the Kerala Blasters vs FC Goa action live on OSN, with the live streaming option on OSN Play.
The viewers in the US and Australia can watch the ISL 2015 match between Kerala and Goa live on Fox Sports, while the online live stream option is on Foxsoccer2go and Foxtel.
