ISL 2022-23: Bengaluru FC starts as favorite against Kerala Blasters in knockout play-off

Bengaluru, on an eight-match winning streak, enter the one-leg knockout contest as favorites against Kerala Blasters FC at the Sree Kanteerava Stadium on Friday.
There was a time when Bengaluru FC was looking at third place in the following season. After picking up just 10 points from their first 12 matches, the 2018-19 Indian Super League champions, 6 out of 11 teams, are likely to miss out on the playoffs in their new form.

But with eight wins in the competition, Simon Grayson's side are favorites to not only qualify for the play-offs, but also enter a one-legged knockout tie against Kerala Blasters FC at the Sree Kanteerava Stadium on Friday. They faced Mumbai City FC in the semifinals.

With just one win in their last five games and none in the previous six, KBFC need an inspiring performance. The two men who could revive this case, Adrian Luna and Dimitrios Diamantakos (10 goals), were not as quiet as in the last match between the two sides (a 1-0 win for BFC last month).

BFC's defence, led by Sandesh Jhingan, has allowed only six goals in the last eight games and will continue its form.

In Javi Hernandez, playmaker in BFC, Roy Krishna and N. Sivasakthi are the two in front of the form. KBFC must stop the trio who have scored 17 of BFC's 27 goals this season. But without midfielder Ivan Kaliuzhnyi (suspended), it will be a difficult task.

The club jointly decided to separate supporters of Bengaluru FC and Kerala Blasters FC for Friday's knockout competition, to prevent fan clashes witnessed in the previous match. If supporters with tickets for different stands are found, they will be either moved to the far stands (if seats are available) or banned from entering the stadium.

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