Kerala Blasters are in stupendous form having not lost a game in their last 9 outings and occupy second spot in the table, a point behind Jamshedpur FC with a game in hand.
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Kerala Blasters are in stupendous form having not lost a game in their last 9 outings and occupy second spot in the Indian Super League (ISL) table, a point behind Jamshedpur FC with a game in hand. Blasters will be aiming to secure win against Odisha FC at the Tilak Maidan on Wednesday which will see them regain the top spot and that is someplace the team from Kochi have not been to in seven years. Blasters are in a rich vein of form having won three of their last five games, scoring 10 goals and conceding just three. Meanwhile Odisha are also not short of confidence having stunned defending champions Mumbai City FC 4-2 in their previous game.
Into the second half of the season we go! ✊??#OFCKBFC #YennumYellow #KBFC #കേരളബ്ലാസ്റ്റേഴ്സ
— K e r a l a B l a s t e r s F C (@KeralaBlasters) January 12, 2022
Ivan Vukomanovic has done a stupendous job with the Blasters team so far. The Yellow army has been playing an exciting and effective brand of football. The defense looks solid, having kept 4 clean sheets. Ruivah Hormipam and Marko Leskovic are doing a solid job in the central defense while Jeakson Singh sits in front of the back four and does a fine job providing cover, which allows the full backs to join the attack whenever possible.
Blasters’ biggest strength this season has been the hard working yet creative midfield. Adrian Luna and Sahal Abdul Samad provide the creative spark and also make the inside runs quite often or not.
Indian international Sahal has netted four times and is in the best form of his life. Unlike the previous seasons, this year, his off the ball movements have been great, making space for Luna and Alvaro Vazquez to work with.
Vazquez has also netted four times and he scored the lone goal of the match against Hyderabad FC in the previous game. Fellow striker Jorge Diaz puts in the hard yards and always keeps the opposition defense on their toes with his relentless running and high pressing.
Meanwhile left-back Jessel Carneiro suffered a shoulder injury against the Nizams and is set to face a lengthy spell on the sidelines while right-back Harmanjot Singh Khabra’s participation is also a doubt. Full-back Nishu Kumar is almost certain to feature from the start.
On the other hand, after a spell of underwhelming performances, Odisha got back to winning ways against Mumbai City in the previous game. The Kiko Ramirez-coached side looked clinical upfront and held firm at the back against the Islanders.
However, they are still languishing at the eighth spot with 13 points from nine games. Ramirez’s concern would be the back-line which has conceded 22 goals in their nine games and have the joint-worst defensive record in the league along with NorthEast United FC.
The match is expected to be a high-scoring affair as both teams like to play an attacking brand of football. In the first leg, Kerala edged past Odish 2-1 and all three goals came from open play.
