MUMBAI: The heroes of the Indian football team return from the AFC Asian Cup as the ongoing season of Hero Indian Super League – season 5 resumes on Friday, January 25th with arch rivals Kerala Blasters locking horns against the 2-time champions ATK.
The opening weekend will also feature other marquee matches involving defending champions Chennaiyin FC as NorthEast United FC host them on Saturday, January 26th.
The week will end with the top of the table clash between Mumbai City FC and Bengaluru FC on Sunday, January 27th. All games will begin from 7.30 pm IST and will be broadcast LIVE on the Star Sports Network.
After a morale boosting AFC Asian Cup, the Blue Tigers have now returned on the home soil to don their Hero ISL franchise colours aiming further to win fan’s hearts from across the country. The opening three games of the Hero ISL season after the break will see stars from national team Sunil Chhetri, Gurpreet Singh Sandhu, Udanta Singh (all Bengaluru FC), Anirudh Thapa (Chennaiyin FC), Rowllin Borges (NorthEast United FC), Subhasish Bose (Mumbai City FC), Pronay Halder (ATK) and many more back in action for fans to look forward to.
ATK, currently sixth in the table, are just four points away from the third-placed FC Goa. With ATK’s glorious history, the recent acquisition of Edu Garcia and the appointment of former Crystal Palace first team coach and West Bromwich Albion assistant head coach Ben Garner, the team looks to bounce back to chase their third Hero ISL title.
Bengaluru FC narrowly missed out on the Hero ISL title last year and are unbeaten after 11 games, with this form the team could very well be the champions this season. The current standings in the league table also indicates that the league could have a new winner with Bengaluru FC, Mumbai City FC, FC Goa, NorthEast United FC and Jamshedpur FC all in contention for the playoff spots.
Kerala Blasters in an aim to regain momentum have replaced David James with Nelo Vingada and would look at the game against ATK on Friday, January 25th as a perfect opportunity to regain their lost confidence.
There is much in store for football fans across the country as the teams’ clash for a chance at attaining the coveted Hero ISL trophy.
