And not just because the Kerala-based side is used to 10 months of rain back home. The southern side that takes on Mumbai-based counterparts, Bank of India (BoI) tomorrow at the Cooperage, have fond memories of the venue stemming from a shock 1-0 win over Salgaocar (Goa) in the Federation Cup pre-quarterfinals last season.

The Kerala bank side are thinking of the next crop of players, according to coach, former international NM Najeeb. The current squad averages just 20 years of age with only old hands Sivakumar and CV Sonny boosting the squad's experience in the absence of Juju Jacob (defender) and Feroz Sharif (goalkeeper) who are at the India camp for the Asian Games.

For all their buoyancy, SBT must be wary of Bank of India, who won the All-IndiaInter-Bank tournament at Thiruvananthaparum recently. Besides, the Mumbai bankmen are playing at home and enjoyed a fairly good Super Division league where they finished fourth.

The other match on the opening day of the two-tier tournament pits Punjab State Electricity Board (PSEB) against Mini Rovers qualifiers Chennai Customs.

PSEB, riding on a high after finishing champions of the Punjab league, must find their opener easy picking. The Chennai side finished runners-up to Mumbai's Central Railway in the Mini Rovers and are likely to struggle finding their feet in the company of the Punjab outfit, SBT and BoI as they vie for a spot in the quarter-final league stage.

The teams appeared pleased with the playing surface, usually the target of critisism for outstation teams. Apprehensions, however, linger on the floodlighting which has always been far from adequate at the Cooperage.

The quarter-final league stage gets under way on November 25. The quality of competition hinges on the availability of topstars, busy at the moment at the selection camp for the Asian Games.

The tournament has already been hit with crowd-pullers Mohan Bagan (Calcutta), the reigning National League champions, declining invitation to participate but the entry of a foreign side -- Iranian Club of Dubai -- augurs well for spectator interest.

Eighteen teams -- 10 seeded straight into the quarter-finals -- will vie for honours and a top prize of Rs 3 lakh. Local fans will root for Air-India, resurgent Mahindras and Bank of India. With a sizeable Goan following in the megapolis, Churchill Brothers, Dempo Sports Club and 1996 champions Salgaocar are not going to be far from home.