Kochi
Kerala is gearing up not to relinquish the Santosh Trophy. The final will be held in Bhubaneswar, Odisha. If we make it to the semi-finals, we can fly to the Gulf. For the first time in history, the semi-finals and finals are in Saudi Arabia. The two-week training began at the Panambillinagar Ernakulam ground. The champions are preparing for the quarter-finals by retaining the 22-member squad that played the qualifiers.
The final will be between February 10 and 20. The team will leave on February 6. In the first match on the 10th, the strong opponent is Goa. They will face Karnataka on the 12th and Maharashtra on the 14th. On the 17th, the opponent is Odisha, who are the hosts. On the 19th, they will face the champions of qualifying group six. The top two will enter the semi-finals.
The team is training hard under the supervision of coach PB Ramesh. All the major players including Captain V Mithun are in the camp. Kerala Police defender G Sanju, who is recovering from injury, will be included as a new addition. The last time they won the title in the country, Sanju led the defence. This time he was out due to injury in the qualifying round. The group has strong opponents. There is also an anti-thickness challenge. So along with physical fitness, mental strength is also important. The weather is not expected to be a problem. A maximum of practice matches will be played before leaving for the tournament. Teams are available due to ongoing Kerala Premier League.
In the qualifying round held in Kozhikode, they won all five matches and secured the quarter-finals as group winners. They scored 24 goals and conceded just two. Midfielder Nijo Gilbert shone and scored six goals.
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