Struggling Kerala Blasters welcome back star winger

Kerala Blasters will be without their leading goalscorer, Jesus Jimenez, for Sunday's Indian Super League match against Punjab FC in New Delhi. However, they have been boosted by the return of talented winger Mohammed Aimen, who made a great impression at the start of the season before suffering an injury.

The Blasters missed Jimenez in the 1-0 away defeat to Jamshedpur on December 29. Interim Head Coach T G Purushothaman said the Spanish striker, who has nine goals this season, and playmaker Vibin Mohanan are yet to regain match fitness. "(But) Aimen will be in the squad. Vibin and Jesus will be back shortly. Hopefully in one or two games," Purushothaman said in his pre-match press conference.

Aimen last played on November 7 against Hyderabad FC. Despite missing most of the season since then, the 21-year-old from Lakshadweep is joint third among assist-makers in the Blasters squad. He set up two goals in five matches.

Purushothaman said he expects to make the fans happy with a second win under his tenure, which began after Mikael Stahre was sacked in mid-December. "They (fans) give us tremendous support, and we're really thankful for that. We just want to give them victories, and I hope everything will be okay. We hope to give them what they deserve," Purushothaman said when asked about protests from fans following the slump in form. The Blasters had dominated possession and most of the stats against Jamshedpur but failed to score.

The Blasters are 10th in the table of 13, with 14 points from as many matches. League leaders Mohun Bagan Super Giant have 32 points from 14 games, while Bengaluru FC are second on 27 points from 13 matches.