High-flying Bengaluru FC meets a struggling Kerala Blasters team for a mesmeric Southern derby at the Kanteerava Stadium and a battle to reach the semifinals of the ISL playoffs.
The Blues extended their outstanding winning run to eight games with a 3-1 triumph over FC Goa while the Tuskers suffered their third straight defeat with a 1-0 result against Hyderabad to end the league phase.
BFC vs KBFC Match Details
Date: Friday, 3 March 2023
Time: 19:30 (IST)
Venue: Sree Kanteerava Stadium, Bangalore
BFC vs KBFC Match Preview
Bengaluru FC pulled off something they could not have imagined after gaining three points in only three of their first 10 games of the season. Simon Grayson’s side suffered six defeats in that period and collected two more after it. However, a complete change of fortune from this year with a 2-1 win against NorthEast United to start with made them more than an able contender for the playoffs when everything looked buried. The Blues defeated other top-six rivals in four of their last five games with the other victory notably coming against Shield winners Mumbai City FC. They became the first club to snap the invincibility run of the Islanders this season. With a staggering 24 points gathered from the eight-game winning run and 19 goals, Bengaluru FC secured the fourth spot on the table. Even with a much-changed side, the 3-1 success against FC Goa courtesy of a Sivasakhti brace and substitute Pablo Perez’s strike showed they are the team to be avoided in the playoffs. The Blues will face a familiar foe in Kerala Blasters in the first eliminator, in trying to reach the semi-finals, being the huge favorites heading into the clash. Should they make it to the last four, Mumbai City FC will be waiting for them in an enthralling double-legged clash. Bengaluru FC have no reason to take their feet off the pedal and it will be a huge shock if they don’t progress on Friday.
Quite the contrary, rivals Kerala Blasters were early favorites to seal the playoff spots as they maintained the third position on the table for some time and had a decent run of games last year. In 2023, the Tuskers fell off drastically and while a playoff berth was secured, they only ended in fifth with 31 points out of 20 games. Only four points are clear in the top six. It can also be argued that the slanting form of other contenders in Odisha FC and FC Goa also played a big part as the Southern club lost four of their last five games including their last three to put them in a precarious position. Ivan Vukomanovic’s side only scored three times in that period also conceding five at the same time. The team, as it seems, has lost the required balance ahead of a crucial stage of the season. With no momentum in hand, getting a positive result against an in-form team like Bengaluru FC looks like an uphill battle already. Kerala Blasters have also lost the earlier meeting between the sides this season at Kanteerava, carrying their winless streak in this venue ever since the Blues entered the ISL. Odds are against the visitors but that can also help them in approaching the clash without much pressure. Even in their off-form, the Tuskers carry decent quality in the squad to draw something out of this Southern derby.
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BFC vs KBFC Team News
Alan Costa could be in contention to feature after missing the last two games for a family issue. Javi Hernandez and Sandesh Jhingan will get back into the mix also after rested in the last league fixture against FC Goa. Aleksandar Jovanovic, Bruno Edgar and Sunil Chettri all drop to the bench. There are no suspensions or injuries for Simon Grayson to think about.
Midfielder Ivan Kaliuzhnyi is suspended for this pivotal clash in the playoffs due to picking up the maximum number of bookings in the last league fixture against Hyderabad FC. Youngster Vibin Mohanan will get another start in the middle of the park after impressing in the last game with Danish Farooq the replacement for the Ukrainian on loan at the club. Rahul KP is also back after his one-match suspension. Sandeep Singh is out for the season as he is recovering from the ankle injury he underwent surgery.
BFC vs KBFC Predicted Lineups
BFC: Gurpreet Singh; Sandesh Jhingan, Alan Costa, Parag Srivas; Prabir Das, Suresh Wangjam, Javi Hernandez, Rohit Kumar, Roshan Naorem; Roy Krishna, Sivasakhti Narayanan.
KBFC: Prabhsukhan Gill; Nishu Kumar, Ruivah Hormipam, Marko Leskovic, Jessel Carneiro; Rahul KP, Vibin Mohanan, Danish Farooq, Sahal Samad; Dimitrios Diamantakos, Adrian Luna.
BFC vs KBFC Head to Head
Bengaluru FC won - 7
Draw - 2
Kerala Blasters won - 3
BFC vs KBFC Dream 11 Team Prediction
GK: Gurpreet (8.5)
DEF: Hormipam (8.5), A Costa (8.5), Jhingan (8.5), Carneiro (7)
MID: Sahal (8), Javi (9), Roshan (8.5)
FW: Sivasakhti (8.5), Krishna (9), Luna (9)
Vice-captain: Roy Krishna
Captain: Javi Hernandez
Adrian Luna has been the creative spark for Kerala Blasters in the successive campaign with 10 goals contributed to this term, just two less than last season’s tally.
Roy Krishna has bloomed in his late-season form scoring or assisting a goal in eight of his last 10 games. The Fijian has contributed to 10 goals this season.
Javi Hernandez has scored two and assisted four goals in his last five appearances for Bengaluru FC. He has combined for 11 goals overall in 18 games.
Stay tuned to Fantasy Football for upcoming matches.
