KOCHI: Kerala Blasters hope to arrest their downward spiral when they face an in-form Chennaiyin FC in the Indian Super League at Jawaharlal Nehru International Stadium, Kochi, on Sunday.
Chennaiyin are placed fourth in the ISL standings with three victories, three draws, and a couple of defeats. In contrast, the Blasters are languishing in tenth place and have just two wins all season. They are going into the match after suffering a hat-trick of losses.
The Blasters’ current predicament is largely due to injuries and the form of several key players. Their offensive capabilities were hampered following Noah Sadoui's injury during their defeat against Bengaluru FC.
Adrian Luna, the Blasters’ stalwart in recent seasons, looks a pale shadow of himself after returning from injury. Despite earnest efforts from Jesus Jimenez and Kwame Peprah in attack, they haven’t received adequate support up front. Kerala Blasters FC head coach Mikael Stahre said that his team needs to fix some defensive issues, but highlighted an important issue that might have slipped under the radar too.
"We have conceded too many goals (16) and we need to find a solution for that. But, it’s not like we’ve conceded too many chances, so that helps, as it would have been worse had we conceded a lot of goal-scoring opportunities as well," Stahre said.
Chennaiyin FC head coach Owen Coyle expressed his gratitude towards the supporters of Chennaiyin FC who will be travelling for the match against Kerala Blasters FC in Kochi. "There are a few hundred fans who will be coming for the away game against Kerala Blasters FC. We are thankful for them since they support us everywhere we go. We want to put a smile on their faces and we can do that by winning this difficult game," Coyle said.
Start a Conversation
Post comment