Kerala Blasters and NorthEast United FC will complete the first round of fixtures of the Indian Super League season two with a match at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Kochi on Tuesday.
Having watched the other six teams play some really good football, both the Blasters and North East will be keen to make an impression and get their ISL 2015 campaign off to the best possible start.
The Kerala Blasters were the runners-up last season, going down narrowly to Atletico de Kolkata in the final, and with a new manager in Peter Taylor at the helm, the Sachin Tendulkar-owned side will want to go one better and lift their first ISL title.
One of the key positions that the Blasters have strengthened is up front, with the likes of Michael Chopra and Iain Hume, who will be a big miss for the Kerala franchise this season, replaced by the likes of Chris Dagnall, Sanchez Watt and Antonio German, with the Indian options being Manandeep Singh and Mohammed Rafi.
"One of the things we have addressed is that we have got more options up front," Kerala Blasters assistant coach Trevor Morgan said. "We scored nine goals last year so that's something we look to change."
What the Kerala Blasters will want to stay the same, though, is their defence, even if they go into this opening match without their marquee player Carlos Marchena, who is injured, and Sandesh Jhingan, who is away with India for the World Cup qualifiers.
NorthEast will also have to do without the services of their marquee man Simao Sabrosa, but having made some decent signings this season – Diomansy Kamara should be able to make an impact -- the John Abraham-owned side are confident of making a better impression from last season.
"Pressure is something that stresses everyone," new NorthEast United manager Cesar Farias said. "Our players and staff know how to handle this and adapt to different situations. We have come here to win and not to walk around, and we'll ensure we do our best.
"I wouldn't want to comment on last season, but we have watched every video and we're training hard to reach the playoffs and later, once we reach the playoffs, we'll be thinking about the final."
The key to making it to the semifinals is winning the home games and getting a few points away from home. So, the Kerala Blasters will know the importance of picking up all three points in front of their peerless fans, while NorthEast United FC will realise just how big a fillip a victory at the fortress that is Kochi will be for the new season.
Teams: Kerala Blasters: Goalkeepers: Sandip Nandy, Shilton Paul, Stephen Bywater.
Defenders: Carlos Marchena, Gurwinder Singh, Marcus Williams, Nirmal Chettri, Perone, Peter Ramage, Ramandeep Singh, Sandesh Jhingan, Saumik Dey.
Midfielders: CK Vineeth, Cavin Lobo, Ishfaq Ahmed, Joao Coimbra, Josue, Mehtab Hossain, Peter Carvalho, Shankar Sampingiraj, Victor Herrero Forcada.
Forwards: Antonio German, Chris Dagnall, Manandeep Singh, Mohammed Rafi, Sanchez Watt.
NorthEast United FC: Goalkeepers: Gennaro Bracigliano, Lalthuammawia Ralte, Rehenesh TP.
Defenders: Cedric Hengbart, Miguel Garcia, Marlangki Suting, Aiborlang Khongjee, Yumnam Raju, Zohmingliana Ralte, Reagan Singh, Robin Gurung.
Midfielders: Simao Sabrosa, Silas, Kondwani Mtonga, Bruno Herrero Arias, Sanju Pradhan, Boithang Haokip, Seityasen Singh, Siam Hangal, Alan Deory.
Forwards: Diomansy Kamara, Boubacar Sanogo, Nicolas Velez, Holicharan Narzary, Francis Dadzie.
Where to Watch Live
Get the Highlights of the match HERE
Get the Score and Report HERE
Here is what Sachin Tendulkar had to say about the fans and Kerala Blasters
Get the Live Score and Blog of the match HERE
Kerala Blasters vs NorthEast United FC is set to begin at 7 pm IST (2.30 pm BST, 9.30 am ET), with live TV coverage in India on a whole host of channels, including Star Sports 2, Star Sports HD2, Star Sports 3, Star Sports HD3, Star Gold, Star Utsav (both Hindi),Jalsha Movies (Bengali), Jaya Max (Tamil) and Asianet Movies (Malayalam) and Suvarna TV (Kannada). The fourth match of ISL 2015 can also be watched via live streaming online in India, and another 159 countries, on Hotstar and Starsports.com.
Viewers in the UK can watch ISL 2015 Match 1 live on Star Gold, while Middle East and North Africa viewers can catch the action live on OSN, with the live streaming option on OSN Play.
Viewers in the US and Australia can watch Chennai vs Kolkata live on Fox Sports, while the online live stream option is on Foxsoccer2go and Foxtel. 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 match can also be live streamed on Eurosport Player.
Viewers in Sub Saharan Africa can watch certain ISL matches live on Zuku and SuperSport.
