I-League champions Gokulam Kerala will face fellow Indian club ATK Mohun Bagan in the AFC Cup 2022 Group D opener at the Salt Lake Stadium in Kolkata on Wednesday, May 18.

Under Italian manager Vincenzo Alberto Annese, Gokulam Kerala have qualified directly for the ongoing edition of the AFC Cup after winning the I-League 2020-21. The Kerala-based club recently created history as they became the first club to defend the I-League title. 

Gokulam Kerala will be brimming with confidence as they head into the ATK Mohun Bagan clash after beating Mohammedan Sporting Club 2-1 in their final league match of I-League 2021-22 at the Salt Lake Stadium.

However, Vincenzo Alberto Annese’s men face a tough test on Wednesday as they take on dominant ATK Mohun Bagan outfit, who made an impressive AFC Cup debut last season. The Mariners had topped their group last term before losing to Uzbek side FC Nasaf in the inter-zone play-off semi-final.

ATK Mohun Bagan sealed their rights to place in the AFC Cup 2022 qualifiers after finishing second in the ISL 2020-21 standings.

Led by head coach Juan Ferrando, the Mariners qualified for the AFC Cup 2022 group stage after thrashing Sri Lanka’s Blue Star SC 5-0 in the Preliminary round 2 and followed it up with a 3-1 win over Bangladeshi club Abahani Limited Dhaka in the qualifiers playoff match.

Ahead of their AFC Cup group opener, ATK Mohun Bagan defeated the Indian football team 2-1 in their practice match last Wednesday.

Gokulam Kerala squad for AFC Cup 2022

Goalkeepers: Rakshit Dagar, Vigneshwaran Baskaran, James Kithan

Defenders: Mohammed Jassim, Alex Saji, Pawan Kumar Drall, Zodingliana Ralte, Aminou Bouba, Muhammed Uvais, Sharif Mukhammad, Abdul Hakku, Shahajas Thekkan

Midfielders: Rishad Puthanveettil, Emil Benny, David Simbo, Thahir Zaman, Ahmed Waseem Razeek, Beneston Barreto, Abhijith Manikandan, Abhijith Kurungodan

Forwards: Sourav, Ngangom Ronald, Singam Subhash Singh, Viruthiyil Sreekuttan, Jithin Subran, Jourdaine Fletcher, Luka Majcen

ATK Mohun Bagan squad for AFC Cup 2022

Goalkeepers: Amrinder Singh, Avilash Paul, Subrata Paul, Arsh Shaikh

Defenders: Sumit Rathi, Gursimrat Singh, Tiri, Sandesh Jhingan, Ashutosh Mehta, Ravi Rana, Subhasish Bose, Pritam Kotal, Prabir Das 

Midfielders: Joni Kauko, Carl McHugh, Hugo Boumous, Abhishek Suryavanshi, Sheikh Sahil, Bidyananda Singh, Deepak Tangri, Michael Soosairaj, Lenny Rodrigues, Kiyan Nassiri, Ningomham Singh

Forwards: David Williams, Manvir Singh, Liston Colaco, Roy Krishna

Where to watch Gokulam Kerala vs ATK Mohun Bagan live in AFC Cup 2022?

The Gokulam Kerala vs ATK Mohun Bagan AFC Cup 2022 match will be telecast live at 4:30 PM Indian Standard Time (IST) on Star Sports 3 and Star Sports 1 Bangla in India.

Live streaming of Gokulam Kerala vs ATK Mohun Bagan match will be available on Disney+ Hotstar app and JioTV.

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Featured photo: ATK Mohun Bagan