ISL: Upbeat Blasters take on struggling Bengaluru FC

Kerala Blasters
Kerala Blasters players during a training session. Photo: Manorama/Josekutty Panackal

Kochi: Kerala Blasters take on Bengaluru FC for the first time this season in the Indian Super League (ISL) at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium here on Sunday. Blasters have won four of their last four games, while the Blues have lost five of their last six.

Blasters have notched up four straight wins for the first time in the ISL. They have kept clean sheets in three out of the last four games, scoring eight goals and conceding just one in the process.

Greek striker Dimitrios Diamantakos struck the winner as Blasters edged Jamshedpur F 1-0 in their last match. Diamantakos is Blasters' joint-top-scorer with Kaliuzhnyi having scored four goals each in eight games.  

"We know this is a very important game for people in Kerala. We as a team like to play this kind of game", said Blasters head coach Ivan Vukomanovic. "When you have the mind of a football player, you want to compete and prefer to play games like this every weekend. We are looking forward to an interesting game tomorrow. May the better team win," he added.

Bengaluru have scored just four goals from eight games, which is the joint-fewest this season with NorthEast United FC. The Blues have roped in Spanish attacking midfielder Pablo Perez. 

"He has done a lot of physical work in terms of conditioning but has not done much football work in the past two to three months. I have got to decide if he will feature this weekend or not because he has only been with us for three sessions. The last thing I want to do is rush him," said head coach Simon Grayson

Speaking about the rivalry between the two clubs, the Englishman said, "When I first arrived in India, this was a talked-about fixture. The rivalry between the two clubs and the number of supporters on each side has added spice to the game."

History favours the visitors as the Blues have won six of the 10 encounters played between these two sides. Blasters have only won twice, while two games ended in draws. 

 

 

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