Hyderabad FC, Kerala Blasters eye maiden Indian Super League title

Fatorda (Goa) [India], March 19 : Indian Super League ( ISL) is absolutely certain to get a new winner this time on Sunday, the team of Kerala Blasters will take to the field to play against Hyderabad FC in the final here at Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium.
Hyderabad FC has reached the final for the first time, while Kerala Blasters will play in the final for the third time.
It has been a season to remember for both Hyderabad and Kerala, reaching the summit of the 2021-22 ISL season on the back of some scintillating performances. Hyderabad finished second in the table with 38 points while Kerala were fourth having 34 in their kitty.
"We are very happy to be here. It was a hard season. It was challenging mentally to be in a bio-bubble for five months. Our strength is the group we have, players and staff. We all work towards the same direction," said Hyderabad head coach Manolo Marquez ahead of the mega clash.
"We were very close last season (to qualifying for the semifinals), this time we finished second in the table. It's only one game and anything can happen tomorrow. We know we have a hard opponent but I am sure they think the same about us as well," he added.
Hyderabad missed the semis bus by a whisker last season under Marquez, finishing fifth.
"It's fantastic (to play in front of fans). Football is for the fans. It is always good for players and everyone involved to have fans," said the Spaniard when asked about fans being back in the stands.
"We prepare all season for this. Every team wants to be in the final. We have to be ready and we are ready," said skipper Joao Victor.
In the semifinals, Hyderabad beat ATK Mohun Bagan 3-2 on aggregate over two legs, winning the first game 3-1 to then lose 0-1 in the second match. Kerala, meanwhile, edged past League Shield winners Jamshedpur 2-1 on aggregate, winning the first encounter 1-0 to then hold the Men of Steel to a 1-1 draw.
Like Hyderabad, Bartholomew Ogbeche has had a stellar season too, scoring a record 18 goals in 19 games and sitting pretty at the top of the goal-scoring charts in the competition with 53 strikes to his name.
"Having the fans back is amazing. We will try to put out a good show for them," said the Nigerian ahead of the final.
Ogbeche also reserved special praise for the organisers of the ISL, saying it wasn't easy to maintain two bio-secure bubbles.
"I would like to give a lot of credit to AIFF (All India Football Federation), FSDL, Reliance Foundation for what they did last year. The bubble is something that wasn't done before and it was a great success last season. It helped to have the experience of a bubble this season, so I feel last season was tougher," said the 37-year old.
For Kerala, they will probably have the biggest 12th man for the final in the form of their fans who brought the roof down when the yellow army reached their third final beating Jamshedpur.
"We came back with strength this season. We are grateful for that. We are so pleased with what we have achieved so far. We hope for the best," said Kerala head coach Ivan Vukomanovic.
Asked about fans being back in the stands, he added: "We play football for the fans. I think in the last couple of months playing without fans was weird. Now it is extra motivation for all the players. As a boy, you dream of playing in front of your local fans."
Hyderabad and Kerala have faced each other six times so far in the Hero ISL, each winning thrice with no draws to show for. Adrian Luna is Kerala's answer to Ogbeche with the Spaniard being a key figure in their journey so far.
Although the likes of Alvaro Vazquez, Marko Leskovic and Jorge Diaz have played important parts too, Luna has been simply outstanding for Kerala scoring six goals and being involved in 13 goal contributions, only Ogbeche being more involved than Luna in this regard.