Bengaluru FC takes on Kerala Blasters for a fiery Southern derby in the Durand Cup 2024 quarterfinal clash at the Salt Lake Stadium.
BEN vs KBFC Match Details
Date: Friday, 23 August 2024
Time: 19:00 (IST)
Venue: Salt Lake Stadium, Kolkata
BEN vs KBFC Match Preview
Bengaluru FC proved overly dominant in their group containing I-League winners Mohammedan SC, I-League side Inter Kashi and the Indian Navy football team. The Blues won every game to top their group scoring 10 goals and conceding only twice in the 3-2 win over the Black Panthers in the final group game. Gerard Zaragoza’s side thumped the Indian Navy 4-0 before registering a 3-0 victory over Inter Kashi and was on the course of another huge win with 3-0 up inside an hour against Mohammedan SC. The coach will be pleased about the team flooding in goals and keeping a water-tight defence at the other end considering Bengaluru FC’s struggle last season. The high-profile signings this summer transfer window have revitalised the team. However, the real tester in the competition will be the daunting quarterfinal tie against their arch-rivals Kerala Blaster on Friday. The 2022 Durand Cup winners are eager to go deep into the competition so another stellar performance at the Salt Lake will be required.
Meanwhile, Kerala Blasters were destructive in their attack in the group stage having added Noah Sadaoui to the rank. The Moroccan has already bagged two hattricks for the new club in the 8-0 hammering of Mumbai City reserves and 7-0 crushing of CISF since joining from FC Goa, leading the top-scoring chart. His sensational scoring form also inspired Kwame Peprah and Mohammed Aimen to come up with brilliance. The other game with fellow ISL side Punjab FC, who also took three points from the rest of the matches, ended in a 1-1 draw but the Tuskers’ huge goal difference helped them achieve the top spot easily. Under new boss Mikael Lennart, Kerala Blasters has proven to be a different beast but will face the toughest challenge yet in Bengaluru FC at the quarterfinal stage. The team still hunting for silverware will not wish to throw the towel now after the expectation they built with their staggering performance in this tournament. Blasters have won just four of the 17 Southern derbies played till now so they will have to prove a statement.
BEN vs KBFC Predicted Lineups
Bengaluru FC
Gurpreet Singh; Nikhil Poojary, Rahul Bheke, Aleksandar Jovanovic, Roshan Singh; Shivaldo Singh, Harsh Patre, Pedro Luis, Alberto Noguera; Jorge Diaz, Sunil Chhetri
Kerala Blasters
Nora Fernandes; Huidrom Singh, Pritam Kotal, Milos Drincic, Muhammed Sahif; Mohammed Aimen, Mohammed Azhar, Danish Farooq; Kwame Peprah, Noah Sadaoui, Adrian Luna
BEN vs KBFC Dream11 Match Prediction
An intense battle is anticipated between two determined ISL teams that may not be separated within 90 minutes or extra time. We expect a high-scoring 2-2 draw due to the firepower both sides possess but Bengaluru FC might edge it on penalties.
BEN vs KBFC Dream11 Top picks
Captain Pick: Noah Sadaoui
Vice-captain Picks: Jorge Diaz, Alberto Noguera, Sunil Chhetri
BEN vs KBFC Dream11 Team Suggestion
GK: Gurpreet (Cr - 8, Pts - 72)
DEF: Bheke (Cr - 9, Pts - 163), Jovanovic (Cr - 8.5, Pts - 117), Roshan (Cr - 8, Pts - 113)
MID: Luna (Cr - 9, Pts - 87), Aimen (Cr - 6.5, Pts - 115), Noguera (Cr - 8, Pts - 218), Sadaoui (Cr - 8.5, Pts - 219)
FW: Peprah (Cr - 9, Pts - 180), Diaz (Cr - 8.5, Pts - 192), Chhetri (Cr - 9, Pts - 156)
Vice-captain: Jorge Diaz
Captain: Noah Sadaoui
