After three months of nerve wrenching journey, the inaugural season of the Indian Super League is just a game away from its conclusion. The best of the best have been selected over two legs of an exciting semi final which saw all the four teams giving their all to get into this mega finale.
David James’ Kerala Blasters came through into the finals via nail-biting finish as a last minute winner in Chennai saved their campaign as they pipped table toppers and favourites Chennaiyin FC 4-3 on aggregate. On the other hand, Atletico de Kolkata came in a even more harder way as they got past a spirited Goa side with 4-2 penalty shoot-out victory in Margao.
Both the teams here failed to score a single goal over the two legs.
Today, we’ll focus on the finalists, just to compare how well they stack up against each other.
Kerala Blasters – The southern side has been known for its tactical compactness and defensive organization. Some have even compared them Jose Mourinho’s Chelsea as they play along the similar lines. Blasters always go for a safety first approach and with a forward like Iain Hume, they can easily play on counter as the Canadian is supremely good at holding the ball upfront.
Blasters have 7 clean sheets in league stages and have scored 13 goals while conceded 14 goals and 3 of them have been in semis against Chennaiyin.
Atletico de Kolkata – They started the tournament brightly as they were leading the charge till the first half of the season. But in second half they just lost their plot. Fikru’s form and Habas’ antics did the side no favours as they managed to get into the semis at the very last minute. Atleti are known for dominating midfield with two enforcers in Borja and Jofre. While Luis Garcia provides the creative spark from the midfield.
Kolkata like Blasters are a strong defensive unit as they too have 7 clean sheets. The Bengal side has scored 16 goals while shipped in 13 goals.
Both the teams are really close in all departments, it’ll be a close final to call.
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