Indian Super League: First-time winners guaranteed as Kerala Blasters take on Hyderabad FC in final

Indian Super League will have a new winner after Kerala Blasters go up against a resurgent Hyderabad FC in the final here on Sunday. While it would be Hyderabad's maiden final appearance, Kerala Blasters will be competing in the final for the third time. In 2014 and 2016, Kerala Blasters had made it to the finals, but on both occasions, they had lost to erstwhile ATK, and thus their dream of winning the coveted ISL Trophy remained unfulfilled. Hyderabad FC qualified after a 3-2 win on aggregate over ATK Mohun Bagan despite losing the second leg of the semi-final 0-1. Hyderabad had won the first leg 3-1 through goals from Bartholomew Ogbeche, Yasir Mohammad, and Javier Siverio. On the other hand, Kerala Blasters FC entered the ISL final for the first time since 2016 after playing out a 1-1 draw with Jamshedpur FC and pipped the League Shield winners 2-1 on aggregate over double leg semi-finals. In the first leg, Sahal Abdul Samad scored the only goal in a 1-0 win for Kerala.

For Hyderabad, a lot would depend on how their star striker Bartholomew Ogbeche fares against the Kerala defence. The 37-year-old Nigerian forward, who is the season's leading goal-scorer with 18 goals to his name from 19 matches, and is the highest goal-scorer in ISL history with 53 goals. However, Ogbeche would need support from other strikers Javier Siverio, who has netted seven times this season and Joel Chianese (4 goals). Also the role of midfielder Joao Victor, the captain, who has five goals to his name would also be crucial. Victor could serve as a key link between strikers and defence and with his prowess can turn the game on its head. Hyderabad also possess an array of good mid-fielders including Aniket Jadhav, experienced Halicharan