MATCH PREVIEW
Kerala Blasters will face Hyderabad FC in the ISL Final 2022 on Sunday (March 20) with both the teams eyeing their maiden title in the Indian Super League.
Hyderabad FC had ended the league phase second on the table while the Kerala Blasters entered the knockouts as the fourth-placed team on the table.
As a deviation from the pandemic-stricken times, the ISL Final 2022 will witness a full house at the stadium. Hyderabad FC head coach Manuel Marquez was not bothered by the second leg defeat as his side qualified for their first ISL final with a 3-2 victory on aggregate.
“This season is historical for us. Now, to arrive in the final after winning against ATKMB, in my opinion, who had the best players in ISL. “I think that today they were better than us. But we defended well. We are very happy because it is the first time that we arrive at the final,” said HFC coach Manuel Marquez.
“At that moment, the important thing for us was to qualify for the final. This is the reason that we are very happy because our team especially our young Indian players, as for most of them, this is the first time that they will play in a final.
“You have to do self-criticism and I think that today ATKMB played better than us. We were lucky as they scored very late,” he added. The head coach further urged fans to come out in large numbers and witness the final clash in the stadium.
“I think that now with people in the stands it would be a good final. But I want our fans to be there, I know that Manjappada, Kerala has a lot of fans. “I want to tell Hyderabad supporters that it would be very good if they can come to PJN Stadium on Sunday,” said the head coach.
HEAD TO HEAD STATS AND PREVIOUS RESULTS
At the moment, the statistics of head-to-head matches include 6 matches in which Hyderabad FC won 3, and the team represented by Kerala Blasters was stronger in 3, and in 0 meetings the teams were unable to identify the winner. The last time they identified the winner was February 23, 2022, and after the final whistle, the score on the scoreboard was 2:1. The teams have good statistics of goals scored in personal meetings – 9-10. But it is still more important in what form the teams approach the h2h confrontation.
HYDERABAD FC REVIEW
11 wins, 5 draws, and 4 losses – those indicators that allowed Hyderabad FC to score 38 points and take the 2 places in Super League. On average, they score 2.2 goals at home, but, alas, they lack this to achieve maximum results. Their opponent needs to be as concentrated as possible with 31-45 for a minute since at this time Hyderabad FC has already scored 5 goals. And they, in turn, are more vigilant with 9 minutes, since they missed 1.1 during this period. Let’s see what they can still show us in this match.
KERALA BLASTERS REVIEW
9 wins, 7 draws, and 4 losses – with such indicators, Kerala Blasters is in the <position_table> position in the Super League after 21 matches, and this club cannot stop at what has been achieved. This team concedes on average 1.1 goals per game in the current season, doing it most often in the 2 half of the game (58% all goals). While it manages to upset its opponents with goals scored 1.7 times with the greatest success in the 2 half of the match (51% all goals). Undoubtedly, having such a modest performance, Kerala Blasters cannot count on any serious achievements, but the most important thing is that, in any situation, the players of this club do not lose concentration and continue to progress from match to match.
BETTING TIPS
HYDERABAD FC
• Has not lost in 7 of the last 8 Super League home games.
• Scored in the 1st half in 7 of the last 8 Super League home games.
• Has conceded in each of their last 8 Super League games.
• Conceded in the 2nd half in 7 of the last 8 Super League games.
• Has scored and conceded in 6 of the last 7 Super League home games.
KERALA BLASTERS
• Has not lost in 7 of the last 8 Super League games.
• Has scored in each of their last 8 Super League games.
MATCH RESULT
There is perfect symmetry in the head-to-head contests between these four teams. There have been two wins for Hyderabad and two wins for Kerala. It’s a perfectly poised final with both teams equally capable of winning the contest. In the league, it was Hyderabad who finished higher by two places and four points. Hyderabad is the favorite and with the league’s top scorer in Bartholomew Ogbeche they have a great chance of winning an elusive title.
BOTH TEAMS TO SCORE
This is a contest with two quality teams. Only once in the last three contests have we seen both teams score but we think that could change here in the final. With both teams looking to win their first-ever final, we think this could be a great attacking game with lots of goals.
OVER 2.5 GOALS
Three of the last five matches between the pair have seen over 2.5 goals. Outside of the head-to-head both Hyderabad and Kerala have seen over 2.5 goals in three of their last five. With both teams amongst the highest scorers in the league, we think this could be a good way to bet.
HYDERABAD FC VS KERALA BLASTERS PREDICTION FOR INDIAN SUPER LEAGUE 2021-22 FINAL
Hyderabad may have lost two of their last five games but bear in mind that the team more or less had one leg set in the next round already. On top of that, given the form their star forward, Bartholomew Ogbeche is in, it comes as no surprise that the Nizams has 2.16 odds of winning.
It’s not that Kerala Blasters have performed below par though. The team exceeded expectations when they beat Jamshedpur FC in the play-offs, but Hyderabad FC’s goal-scoring prowess might prove to be the differential on Sunday.