NEUFC Team News
Kerala have been on a barren run and lie second from last, but Jamil urged his side not to take their opponents lightly. “They (Kerala Blasters) are a good team. They have talented players and so we will have to prepare. It will be a difficult game. We shouldn’t take this match lightly. We must fight,” he said.
NEUFC might need just a point but Jamil was in no mood to settle for a draw. He stated that there wouldn’t be any change in their preparation. “We are not thinking about anything else. The preparations are the same. There are no changes in anything. The idea is to go there and give your best and have to be ready in all aspects,” he said.
Jamil has enjoyed success earlier. However, a win or a draw against KBFC will not only stretch his unbeaten run to nine games, but will also make him the first Indian manager to have managed more than three league matches and qualified for the playoffs. Jamil rated his NEUFC assignment as the toughest to date. “It’s a big challenge here in ISL. Here we are dealing with good teams in the Hero ISL. There are quality players and coaches. So this is a different challenge,” he said.
KBFC Team News
Kerala are without a win in their last seven league games. With nothing but just pride to play for, interim coach Ishfaq Ahmed will be looking to end the season on a high.
“The matches are very similar to everyone. For us, we definitely want to win. They want to win. They have a little bit of extra pressure. For us, it’s another opportunity to sign off from the league on a high,” stated Ahmed.
“We are not thinking about what they (NEUFC) want. We are thinking about us and what we have to do,” he said.
However, KBFC have failed to record a single win against their opponents in the last five meetings. NEUFC won once and the remaining matches were drawn.
NorthEast United FC Squad:
Goalkeepers: Gurmeet, Nikhil Deka, Sanjiban Ghosh, Subhashish Roy Defenders: Ashutosh Mehta, Benjamin Lambot, Dylan Fox, Gurjinder Kumar, Mashoor Shereef, Nabin Rabha, Nim Dorjee, Provat Lakra, Rakesh Pradhan, Wayne Vaz Midfielders: Federico Gallego, Imran Khan, Khassa Camara, Lalengmawia, Lalrempuia Fanai, Pragyan Gogoi, Rochharzela Forwards: Britto PM, Idrissa Sylla, Ninthoinganba Meetei, Kwesi Appiah, Lalkhawpuimawia, Luis Machado, Suhari Vadakkepeedika
Kerala Blasters FC Squad:
Goalkeepers: Albino Gomes, Bilal Khan, Prabhsukhan Singh Gill, Muheet Khan. Defenders: Costa Nhamoinesu, Nishu Kumar, Bakary Kone, Jessel Carneiro, Sandeep Singh, Abdul Hakku, Lalruatthara; Midfielders: Sergio Cidoncha, Sahal Abdul Samad, Vicente Gomez, Seityasen Singh, Rahul KP, Givson Singh, Lalthathanga Khawlhring, Yendrembam Denechandra, Nongdamba Naorem, Arjun Jayaraj, Ayush Adhikari, Jeakson Singh, Prasanth Karuthadathkuni, Ritwik Das, Rohit Kumar; Forwards: Gary Hooper, Jordan Murray, Facundo Pereyra, Naorem Mahesh Singh, Shaiborlang Kharpan.
Match Details:
Date: Feb 26 (Friday)
Time: 7:30pm IST
Live on: Star Sports Network
Live Streaming on: Disney+Hotstar VIP, Jio TV