'Will be beautiful to have Gokulam join Kerala Blasters in ISL'

Gokulam Kerala Head Coach Antonio Rueda believes that his side has the quality to play in the Indian Super League (ISL) alongside Kerala Blasters, the only club from the southern state in the top flight of men's football.

The Spaniard hopes his side can win the I-League and gain promotion to the ISL next season. Kozhikode-based Gokulam play in the second division.

According to Rueda, the difference between ISL and I-League is minimal. "I think at least five clubs in the I-League can play in the ISL. For example, in the pre-season, we played Chennaiyin in Chennai, and the difference was minimal. I think we were slightly better," Rueda told Onmanorama on Monday.

According to him, football fans in north Kerala deserve to see Gokulam in the top flights. "We play only for the fans. With theses fans and our players I think it is possible for us to play in the Indian Super League next season. It would be beautiful to have both Kerala Blasters and Gokulam Kerala in the ISL next season."

First home match: Vs Aizawl
Gokulam will play Aizawl FC in their first home match of the I-League season on Tuesday. The game will kick off at 7 pm at the EMS Corporation Stadium in Kozhikode.

After the first two rounds, both Gokulam and Aizawl are unbeaten, with a win and a draw each. Gokulam defeated Sreenidi Deccan 3-2 in Hyderabad before holding Real Kashmir to a 1-1 draw in Srinagar.

The winners of the I-League, a 12-team competition this season, will gain promotion to the ISL. That has been the norm since 2022-23. Gokulam won back-to-back I-League titles before the Indian football roadmap, guaranteeing ISL promotion kicked in. They finished third in the I-League in the last two I-League seasons.