Kerala Blasters have found their groove again with three wins in their last four Indian Super League matches, but they remain one of the worst sides when it comes to defending set pieces.

Almost 50% of the goals (13 out of 27), conceded by the Blasters in their 16 matches so far this season have come from set pieces, which include corners, freekicks and penalties;

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Though the Blasters have not conceded any goals directly from set pieces in the last five matches, their vulnerability from dead ball scenarios was exposed in the most recent outing against Odisha FC in Kochi last week.

Odisha's second goal, scored by Dorielton, came at the end of a direct freekick from Diego Mauricio that rattled the post before a rebound resulted in another goal attempt. Goalkeeper Sachin Suresh palmed the effort straight back in, allowing the Brazilian striker to make it 2-2. Noah Sadaoui spared the home team's blushes with a late goal.

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If not for a fortunate late winner, that Dorielton goal would have haunted the Blasters going into Saturday's home match against NorthEast United, one of the league's most attacking sides. Till Friday, NEU FC's 31 goals were the highest in the league, meaning the Blasters will have to be defensively solid to continue their recent form.

NEU FC are fifth in the points table on 24 points from 16 matches, while the Blasters are 9th, four points behind the highlanders.

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