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Kerala Blasters vs ATK Mohun Bagan Preview: New Indian Premier League season kicks off

By Ramesh Jegatheeswaran

19 Nov 2020

Ramesh Jegatheeswaran 19 Nov 2020

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Kerala Blasters host champions ATK Mohun Bagan in the ISL opener
ATK Mohun Bagan won the title for the third time in 2019-20
Kerala Blasters have drawn 2 of their last 3 matches
Karala Blasters have drawn 4 of their last 7 matches against ATK Mohun Bagan

Kerala Blasters and ATK met in the 2016 Indian Super League final (Getty Images)

Reigning champions ATK Mohun Bagan begin the defence of their title with a trip to face Kerala Blasters at GMC Stadium on Friday. The fixture is the opening game of the 2020-21 Indian Super League season as the seventh edition of the competition gets underway.

Kerala Blasters Form

Kerala Blasters missed out on the ISL play-offs last season after finishing seventh in the table with 19 points from 18 games.

Kerala won just four games last season, drawing seven and losing seven. They ended the regular season with just one win in their last six games.

Dutch coach Eelco Schattorie has since left the club and been replaced by Spaniard Kibu Vicuna ahead of the start of the 2020-21 season.

Kerala Blasters Team News

Since last season, Bartholomew Ogbeche, Gianni Zuiverloo, Jairo Rodrigues, Mario Arques, Mouhamadou Gning, Raphael Messi Bouli and Vlatko Drobarov are among the departures.

Argentine forward Facundo Pereyra has been signed from Apollon Limassol, Spanish midfielder Vicente Gomez has joined from Deportivo de La Coruna and centre-back Costa Nhamoinesu arrives from Sparta Prague.

Australian A-League duo Gary Hooper and Jordan Murray have joined from Wellington Phoenix and Central Coast Mariners respectively.

ATK Mohun Bagan Form

ATK made it three ISL titles when winning last year's play-off final against Chennaiyin. The club had also won the 2014 and 2016 titles when known as Atletico de Kolkata.

Coach Antonio Lopez Habas oversaw 10 wins from 18 games as ATK finished second in the table behind Goa in the regular season.

ATK lost the first leg of their semi-final 1-0 to Bengaluru before winning the second leg 3-1 to progress. They overcame Chennaiyin 3-1 in the final with Javi Hernández scoring twice and Edu García getting the other goal of the game.

ATK Mohun Bagan Team News

Agus has retired and Spanish defender Víctor Mongil has left. But international contingent David Williams, Roy Krishna, Edu Garcia and Javi Hernández are all still with the club.

The new faces include Spanish defender Tiri from Jamshedpur and Australian forward Brad Inman from Brisbane Roar.

Kerala Blasters vs ATK Mohun Bagan Head to Head

ATK won their first two ISL title by beating Kerala Blasters in the final in 2014 and 2016. The two sides have been closely matched with Kerala having four wins to ATK's three victories and five draws.

Kerala won both meetings last season with 2-1 and 1-0 victories and are unbeaten in the last seven head to heads.

Kerala Blasters vs ATK Mohun Bagan Stats

Kerala Blasters have drawn 2 of their last 3 matches (Indian Super League).
Kerala Blasters are unbeaten in their last 7 matches against ATK Mohun Bagan (Indian Super League).
Karala Blasters have drawn 4 of their last 7 matches against ATK Mohun Bagan (Indian Super League).
ATK Mohun Bagan have been crowned Indian Super League champions a record three times.

Predictions

Kerala won both games against ATK Mohun Bagan last season, but were ultimately disappointing as they missed the play-offs. Historically these sides are closely matches and a draw in the season opener looks likely.

Kerala Blasters vs ATK Mohun Bagan FAQs

Where can I watch the Kerala Blasters vs ATK Mohun Bagan live stream online?

Our live streaming calendar shows you where to watch the Kerala Blasters vs ATK Mohun Bagan live stream online.

Where is Kerala Blasters vs ATK Mohun Bagan being played?

Kerala Blasters vs ATK Mohun Bagan is being played at the GMC Stadium in Bambolim, India.

Verdict

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