ISL 2022-23: East Bengal eyes winning start against Kerala Blasters after past season howlers

With former Indian head coach Stephen Constantine at the helm of affairs, East Bengal will look to get its campaign underway positively, taking on 2021-22 Indian Super League (ISL) runner-up Kerala Blasters in the opening game at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Kochi on Friday. Normalcy returns to the ISL after twin closed-door seasons in Goa because of the COVID-19 pandemic, as the league will again be played in its usual home-away format with fans back in the venues. There's still no promotion and relegation yet, but the ninth season will witness the top two sides making the semis directly. Meanwhile, the remaining two spots will be decided from a single-leg playoff among the third to sixth-placed teams.

On paper, the three-time finalist and the home side, KBFC, despite losing key attackers Alvaro Vasquez (FC Goa) and Jorge Pereyra Diaz (Mumbai City), look relatively strong than the century-old club from Kolkata, still making baby steps in the ISL. The Ivan Vukomanovic-coached yellow brigade hopes the recruits in Giannou, Diamantakos and Victor Mongil are up to the task. Striking a balance would be their primary objective.

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All eyes would be on local boy and Indian star Sahal Abdul Samad as he would aim for early strikes. Under a new sponsor, East Bengal hopes to overcome the disappointment of the last two seasons, finishing ninth and bottom (11th). "It will be a real test for us. But then, this is what we all want, to be tested every week, every game. We are slowly getting there. One thing I will promise. We will give our fans a good account of ourselves," Constantine said.

Constantine has brought some known faces of Indian football in, Cleiton Silva and VP Suhair, who will be in charge of the East Bengal attack and link-up play. Silva had twin productive seasons with Bengaluru FC. He will be their crucial man up front with a penchant for goals. Ivan Gonzalez and Alex Lima will further prop the team's spine. Charalambos Kyriakou is the one who can play numerous positions in the backline, which is continually a bonus.

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Arindam Bhattacharya, Hira Mondal and Lalrinliana Hnamte are among the few notable Indian players who have departed. Still, this season has enough quality and depth for the Indian contingent. Kamaljit Singh showed his stability at the goal in the recent Durand Cup.

At the same time, the likes of Jerry Lalrinzuala, Mohamad Rakip, Sarthak Golui, Pritam Singh and Lalchungnunga will add soundness at the back. The critical thing is that EB has managed to train together for a long time, unlike the last two appearances, as it looks to give a good account of itself under Constantine's defensive corps.

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Match details
Date and day: October 7, 2022 (Friday)
Venue: Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, Kochi
Time: 7.30 PM (IST)
Where to watch (TV): Star Sports 2, Star Sports Hindi & other regional language channels of Star Sports (Also available in HD)
Where to watch (Online): Hotstar
Prediction: 1-1 draw

(With inputs from PTI)

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