The Blasters are unbeaten in five games and their unbeaten streak is currently the joint highest streak by an ISL club, along with Hyderabad FC.
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Kerala Blasters FC take on Chennaiyin FC in the Indian Super League (ISL) fixture at the Tilak Maidan on Wednesday. Both sides will be aiming to carry the winning momentum when they face each other in the Southern derby. Chennaiyin FC defeated Odisha FC 2-1 in the last match while Kerala Blasters thrashed defending champions Mumbai City FC 3-0 on Sunday. The Blasters are unbeaten in five games and their unbeaten streak is currently the joint highest streak by an ISL club, along with Hyderabad FC.
Fourth-placed @ChennaiyinFC resume hostilities against @KeralaBlasters for the first time this term tonight ⚔️
Who will emerge victorious in this battle for top 4 standings? ?https://t.co/wkVx2NbIxW#CFCKBFC #HeroISL #LetsFootball
— Indian Super League (@IndSuperLeague) December 22, 2021
Chennaiyin hold an edge over their southern rivals when it comes to head-to-head record as they have emerged victorious on six occasions in their last 16 ISL meetings. In the last match against Odisha, Bozidar Bandovic’s side scored a goal on either side of the half to secure all three points. Germanpreet Singh opened the scoring for Marina Machans before Mirlan Muzraev doubled the lead. Meanwhile Javi Hernandez scored a late consolation goal for Odisha.
The win helped Chennaiyin to fourth spot in the points table with 11 points from 6 games. They have lost just one game and won three to get into the top four. Speaking on the eve of the match Bandovic said, “ As you can see all the games are very tough. Everyone can win any game. So, we need to look at yourselves. They have their style of play and are coming back off a good win. We will be ready.”
“I always say, we need to have balance. We will study our opponents and see which areas can be advantageous to us. Like all other teams, they have strong individuals who we need to take care of. We did well in most of the games. We showed good character on the field. Given the time we have had, I think we are doing well.”
Chennaiyin’s attack led by Anirudh Thapa has been doing a fine job. They have been creating a good number of goal scoring opportunities but need to be a little more clinical in front of goal. In most of the games, the Marina Machans have had superior ball possession.
Kerala Blasters have had a very good start to the season, after losing the first game against ATK Mohun Bagan the Kerala-based side haven’t tasted defeat. In the last game against Mumbai City, Blasters produced a superb performance to demolish the league leaders. Blasters boss Ivan Vukomanovic’s tactics have been spot on so far.
The likes of Jeakson Singh, Puitea, Sahal Abdul Samad and Adrian Luna have been doing a great job of neutralising the opposition midfield with their relentless running and closing down. Meanwhile the forwards Alavro Vazquez and Jorge Pereyera have also been exceptional. Vazquez has found the back of the net three times this season, including a screamer in the last game.
Meanwhile Sahal, who has been touted as the next big thing in Indian football for some time now, is finally getting into the groove now, having scored two goals and completed the most number of dribblers this season than any other Indian player in ISL.
Jeakson and Puitea have been the other big positives for Blasters. Jeakson does the defensive midfielders job and provides the shield to the back four. Meanwhile Puitea drops behind and is the link between the defence and the attack.
It’s going to be a battle of equals when the two Southern clubs from neighboring states face off each other. Whoever wins the battle in the midfield is likely take all three points.
