Kerala, Karnataka, Manipur, West Bengal gear up for Santosh Trophy semi-final clash

Mallapuram: Kerala will be vying to move a step closer to winning their seventh Santosh Trophy title on Thursday when they will square off against four-time champions Karnataka in the first semi-final at the Manjeri Payyanad Stadium, Kerala. In the second semi-final clash, the most successful team in the history of the Santosh Trophy, West Bengal, will face Manipur on Friday at the same venue.

Kerala progressed to the semi-final round of the tournament after finishing the last round as Group A table-toppers. They collected 10 points from four games and are the only unbeaten side in the tournament. The 2017-18 champions kicked off the tournament with a thumping 5-0 win over Rajasthan. In their next game, they passed the West Bengal test with flying colours before playing out a 2-2 draw with Meghalaya. They edged past Punjab 2-1 in their most recent game to finish the group round as table toppers.

"Scoring isn't essential to me; I just want to win every game, and that is what I am concentrating on right now. I am pleased with my performance. But the most important thing for me is to win this game and get to the final," said Kerala captain Jijo Joseph in a statement. "Karnataka is a good side. They were outstanding against Gujarat in their most recent match and are in excellent form. All of the teams that have advanced to the semifinals are good, and now it's a do-or-die situation for us," he continued.

Karnataka, meanwhile, finished second in Group B with seven points in their kitty. They won two games in the previous round against Gujarat and Services with their only defeat coming at the hands of Manipur. They were held for a 3-3 draw by Odisha in their first game. "The match against Kerala is going to be very exciting, they have home advantage but we will give our best in the game. Our team is motivated after our last win and we will not leave any stone unturned to win this one," Karnataka boss Biby Thomas Muttath said.

"We are training hard for the semi-final, we are only focusing on tomorrow's game. I believe we will give our 100 per cent on the field," Karnataka skipper M Sunil Kumar said. Manipur qualified for the last four after winning Group B with nine points. Manipur won three of their four group stage games, with their lone defeat coming against Odisha. In their most recent game, they thrashed Karnataka 3-0.