ISL: Kerala Blasters FC full squad list, schedule, fixtures — all you need to know

Ahead of their seventh Indian Super League (ISL) campaign, Kochi-based Kerala Blasters FC were handed huge blows as three important players — Sandesh Jhingan, Bartholomew Ogbeche and Tiri — all left for other ISL clubs. However, they seem to have recovered in the transfer window having made some solid signings.

Kerala fans, like always, have high expectations on their team. Twice they have made the finals of the ISL, will they be able to go all the way this season? Only time will tell how they will fare, but here is everything you need to know about Kerala Blasters’ ISL Season VII campaign:

The Squad

With a fresh-look foreign department, Kerala Blasters are all geared up for the seventh edition of ISL. Here’s the full squad, as per the official ISL website:

Goalkeepers: Albino Gomes, Bilal Khan, Muheet Khan, Prabhsukhan Gill

Defenders: Abdul Hakku, Bakary Kone, Costa Nhamoinesu, Jessel Carneiro, Lalruatthara, Nishu Kumar, Sandeep Singh

Midfielders: Arjun Jayaraj, Ayush Adhikari, Jeakson Singh, Vicente Gomez, Lathathanga Khwalhring, Givson Singh, Nongdamba Naorem, Prashanth Karuthadathkuni, Rahul KP, Ritwik Das, Rohit Kumar, Sahal Abdul Samad, Seityasen Singh, Sergio Cidoncha, Yendrembam Denechandra

Forwards: Facundo Pereyra, Gary Hooper, Jordan Murray, Naorem Mahesh Singh, Shaiborlang Kharpan

Note: Some players aren’t with the squad in Goa but have been registered with the league to be flown in whenever necessary.

The Schedule

Kibu Vicuna’s men begin their ISL campaign against ATK Mohun Bagan on November 20th in what will be the season VII opener.

https://twitter.com/KeralaBlasters/status/1322187209634537473

Here’s how their schedule looks for the first 10 fixtures:

SC East Bengal vs ATK Mohun Bagan - Nov 27 - Tilak Maidan Stadium

Kerala Blasters vs ATK Mohun Bagan - Nov 20 - GMC Stadium Bambolim

Kerala Blasters vs NorthEast United - Nov 26 - GMC Stadium Bambolim

Chennaiyin FC vs Kerala Blasters - Nov 29 - GMC Stadium Bambolim

FC Goa vs Kerala Blasters - Dec 6 - Fatorda Stadium

Bengaluru FC vs Kerala Blasters - Dec 13 - Fatorda Stadium

Kerala Blasters vs SC East Bengal - Dec 20 - GMC Stadium Bambolim

Kerala Blasters vs Hyderabad FC - Dec 27 - GMC Stadium Bambolim

Mumbai City vs Kerala Blasters - Jan 2 - GMC Stadium Bambolim

Kerala Blasters vs Odisha FC - Jan 7 - GMC Stadium Bambolim

Jamshedpur FC vs Kerala Blasters - Jan 10 - Tilak Maidan Stadium

Coach speak:

Kibu Vicuna: I’ll be looking to allow the team to continue playing a possession-based style, while forcing them to work hard on creating more goal-scoring chances. I will also be focusing on developing a more organized defence because I believe that the team conceded too many goals last season due to defensive errors.

Balance is a key aspect of football. As a team, your defence needs to strike a balance with the attack. Only then you can transition easily between both processes and dominate your opponents in the game