ISL 7: ATK Mohun Bagan to launch title defense against Kerala Blasters FC
Oct 30, 2020
Panaji (Goa) [India], October 30 : Defending champions ATK Mohun Bagan will face Kerala Blasters FC to kickstart the seventh season of Indian Super League (ISL) on November 20 at the GMC Stadium, Bambolim in Goa.
New entrants SC East Bengal will make their ISL debut playing in one of the oldest rivalries in Asian football - the Kolkata Derby.
For the first time in ISL, SC East Bengal will face ATK Mohun Bagan in the biggest spectacle of Indian football on November 27, at the Tilak Maidan Stadium.
"The 2020-21 edition of ISL will be played behind closed doors under a bio-secure bubble in Goa at three venues - Tilak Maidan Stadium, Vasco, GMC Athletic Stadium, Bambolim, and Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, Fatorda," the Football Sports Development Limited (FSDL) said in an official statement on Friday.
With SC East Bengal's inclusion, the expanded league will feature an unprecedented 115 games. All 11 clubs will play with each other in a double round-robin format. The top 4 clubs on the points table at the end of the regular season qualify for the playoffs
Last season's League Shield winners FC Goa will begin their campaign against former champions Bengaluru FC on November 22.
The schedule for the remaining 55 league matches will be published in December post clarity on calendar dates of Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Competitions matches.
