Kerala Blasters FC vs Bengaluru FC Prediction: The yellow army will be hoping to pay back for the semi-final loss last year

Kerala Blasters FC will welcome Bengaluru FC in the first game of the Indian Super League of the 2023-24 season at Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, Kochi. These teams met in the semi-finals of the last year and Kerala got off the pitch at 115 minutes. The yellow army will be hoping to pay back for the semi-final loss. Who will win? 

Kerala Blasters have yet to secure victory in the Indian Super League, despite boasting one of the most fervent fanbases in the nation. This loyal following has been yearning for silverware to celebrate, but the team has thus far fallen short in delivering trophies. Ivan Vukomanovic enjoys significant backing from the fanbase, yet another trophy-less season could test their patience. Consequently, commencing the season with a triumph holds substantial importance for the Yellow Army.

Sachin Suresh; Prabir Das, Pritam Kotal, Miloš Drinčić, Aiban Dohling; Jeakson Singh, Danish Farooq, Adrian Luna; Daisuke Sakai, Kwame Peprah, Bidyashagar Singh

Bengaluru FC enjoyed an outstanding 2022-23 campaign, securing victory in the Durand Cup and making it to the finals of both the Indian Super League playoffs and the Super Cup. With this impressive track record, expectations are naturally high for the upcoming season. The minimum expectation will be to qualify for the playoffs, and commencing the season with a win is the ideal way to kickstart their pursuit of this goal.

Gurpreet Singh Sandhu; Parag Satish Shrivas, Naorem Roshan Singh, Aleksandar Jovanovic, Slavko Damjanovic; Rohit Kumar, Suresh Singh, Javi Hernandez; Sivasakthi Narayanan, Curtis Main, Halicharan Narzary.

Kerala Blasters may not field Greek striker Dimitrios Diamantakos, who has recently joined the team. They will also be without two Indian stars, Rahul KP and Bryce Miranda, who are representing the Indian national team in the Asian Games. Karanjit Singh is likely to take up the goalkeeper role, and Uruguayan forward Adrian Luna may feature in the starting lineup.

On the other hand, Bengaluru FC will be without their captain and talisman, Sunil Chhetri, who is currently on duty with the Indian national team at the Asian Games 2023. Additionally, Rohit Danu will not be available for the Blues. Gurpreet Singh Sandhu is expected to start as the goalkeeper, and players like Javi Hernandez and Halicharan Narzary are also set to feature.

As mentioned earlier, there is some uncertainty regarding the tactical approach of both clubs, and surprises could be in store. On paper, it appears to be an evenly matched contest, but the absence of Sunil Chhetri could prove significant, given his knack for performing under pressure. If Bengaluru FC can carry forward the momentum from their previous season, the Blasters might reveal some vulnerabilities worth exploiting.

We expect Bengaluru to win the game with more than 2.5 goals in the game. Take double chance on Bengaluru.