Santosh Trophy: All set for Kerala-West Bengal final in Malappuram; kick-off at 8 pm today

Malappuram: Kerala seek their seventh Santosh Trophy title as they take on 32-time winners West Bengal in the final of the 75th edition at the Payyanad Stadium in Manjeri here on Monday.

The match will kick-off at 8 pm and will be streamed live on Indian Football Facebook Page.

It will be a fourth final between Kerala and West Bengal with the former winning their most recent encounter in Kolkata in 2018.

Goalkeeper V Midhun, who was the hero in a penalty shootout victory at the Salt Lake Stadium four years ago is again the custodian of the present Kerala side led by Jijo Joseph.

The unbeaten hosts, Kerala had defeated West Bengal in the first round of the present championship and head coach Bino George will be hoping his boys can continue their incredible form that saw them overpower Karnataka, 7-3 in the semifinals.

"I want to beat Bengal take the trophy for our fans, who have been supportive throughout the tournament," said Bino George on the eve of the match.

Meanwhile, his West Bengal counterpart, Ranjan Bhattacharjee said Kerala should be under pressure as they are the home side. “We were defeated by Kerala at the start of the campaign so this game will be treated as a revenge,” said Bhattacharjee.

Kerala had overcome a robust West Bengal defense with two late goals when the sides met earlier in the group stage. Noufal had scored in the 84th minute before Jesin TK added another in injury time.

All eyes will be on young Malappuram forward Jesin, whose five-goal performance against Karnataka after coming on as a substitute in the 30th minute in the semifinals the other day turned him into an overnight sensation.

While Jesin has presented his case for a start in the final, Bino George could be tempted to use him as a trump card again in the form of another timely substitution.

Kerala's midfield trio of Jijo, Arjun Jayaraj and Rashid are nailed on while coach Bino is unlikely to tinker with his defense even though it has been shaky.

West Bengal, meanwhile, had bounced back from their early loss to Kerala and kept growing in strength as the championship progressed. Their 3-0 victory over Manipur in the semifinals means they will not be an easy opponent for the high-flying hosts in the final.

Forward Fardin Ali Molla, who netted a brace in each of West Bengal's high-scoring matches will be the dangerman.

Mahitosh Roy, who impressed against Meghalaya is another with an eye for goal in the West Bengal ranks. Kerala defense that has let in six goals so far will have to be focussed throughout if they are to get the job done in the clash of the two heavyweights of Indian football.