FOOTBALL

ISL: Kerala Blasters hope to continue winning streak against Chennayin

Kerala Blasters are eyeing a remote possibility of making the ISL play-offs

kerala-blasters-neufc-ap Kerala Blasters FC players celebrate after the goal during the Hero Indian Super League (ISL) match against NorthEast United FC in Guwahati | AP

Kerala Blasters would look to extend their unbeaten run when they take on Chennaiyin FC in a crucial Hero Indian Super League match on Feb 23.

Unbeaten in four consecutive matches, Kerala Blasters are eyeing a remote possibility of making the ISL play-offs, and a win tomorrow would definitely help their cause.

Chennaiyin are not yet assured of qualification for the semifinals but even a loss will keep them in the top four. However, both the teams have only two matches left.

The previous match between the two sides ended in a 1-1 draw after goals in the 89th and 90th minutes from Rene Mihelic and C.K. Vineeth respectively.

"It was a tough schedule for us to play games and then recover for a day before jumping on to the plane again. We're delighted with the amount of points we've got from these last four matches. I didn't change the team that much so it has been a huge workload for them and that says everything about my squad," Chennaiyin head coach John Gregory said.

"We're where we are because of our work ethic. Now, we come into this game with an unusual four-five days of rest and we are in very good shape."

Kerala Blasters new coach David James sounded pretty confident, and said that there were initial question marks when he joined Kerala for the second time in his career.

"The experience I had as a head coach was also a matter of question but from day one it was always about how Kerala Blasters is about everyone involved with the club and not just the players and the head coach. So, without wanting to make it sound too easy, it was still easy to instil confidence in everyone with a support staff like mine," he said.

On the upcoming game, James said he expected an energetic match.

"We expect them to win the game and get over the line. For us, we have to win the game and aim for six points (out of two games)," he said.