Preview: Kerala Blasters aim to extend unbeaten run against Jamshedpur FC

The sides are going through contrasting seasons so far.

Kerala Blasters host Jamshedpur FC in the ISL 2022-23 with an eye on breaking into the top three. The Blasters have been on a run of point-scoring since losing to Mumbai at the end of October, winning six matches and drawing one. Jamshedpur meanwhile, have not won a match since beating NorthEast, losing seven and drawing one of their last eight.

Without much delay, let's take a quick look at what the encounter has to offer.

The Stakes

Kerala Blasters

Kerala Blasters are fourth in the table with 22 points, one point behind ATK Mohun Bagan with a game in hand. A victory will not only lift Blasters to the third place but also give a six-point cushion over FC Goa, who sit outside the top four.

Jamshedpur FC

Ending a sequence of defeats with a hard-fought 2-2 draw against Goa resuscitated Jamshedpur FC’s campaign. They are miles away from the playoffs race, posting a solitary win so far and amassing five points from 11 matches. With new signings Dylan Fox and Rafael Crivellaro joining, Jamshedpur have pressed the reset button and should be targeting a run of victories to get as close to the top six as possible.

Injury & Team News

For Kerala Blasters, Ivan Kaliuzhnyi is suspended for the fixture. Bijoy Varghese is missing from the bench for the last couple of matches; he incurred an injury in November. On the other hand, no injury concerns for Jamshedpur FC as of now. Dylan Fox has joined the club, replacing Peter Hartley, and will be ready to feature against Kerala Blasters.

Head-to-Head

Kerala Blasters have faced Jamshedpur FC 13 times in the Indian Super League.

Kerala Blasters - 3

Jamshedpur FC - 3

Drawn - 7

Predicted Line-ups

Kerala Blasters (4-4-2)

Prabhsukhan Gill; Sandeep Singh, Hormipam Ruivah, Marko Leskovic, Jessel Carneiro,; Rahul KP, Jeakson Singh, Victor Mongil, Sahal Abdul Samad; Dimitrios Diamantakos, Adrian Luna

Jamshedpur FC (3-5-2)

Vishal Yadav; Pratik Chaudhari, Dylan Fox, Muhammed Uvais; Boris Singh, Rafael Crivellaro, Jay Emmanuel-Thomas, Vikash Singh, Ricky Lallawmawma; Daniel Chima Chukwu, Ishan Pandita

Player to watch

Sandeep Singh (Kerala Blasters)

With one goal and one assist in seven appearances, right-back Sandeep Singh has had a breakthrough season. His late header against Odisha helped the Blasters extend their unbeaten streak to seven matches. He has also intercepted excellently and lent support with crosses and over-lap runs all season.

Ishan Pandita (Jamshedpur FC)

Pandita broke his goal drought with a goal against Goa in the previous game. Jamshedpur will bank on their young Indian forward for goals against Kerala Blasters. He has made his way into good shooting positions with his predatory instincts but finishing has let him down this season. The match against the Yellow Army shall be the perfect one for Pandita to show what he has in his arsenal.

Did You Know?

• The last time these sides met, Diamantakos scored the winner in a 1-0 victory for the Blasters.
• Both teams faced each other in the semi-finals last season, Blasters won 2-1 on aggregate.
• 32 goals have been scored in this particular fixture in all the 13 meetings so far.

Telecast

The match between Kerala Blasters and Jamshedpur FC will take place at the Jawaharlal Nehru International Stadium, Kochi, on January 3rd (Tuesday). The kick-off time is 7:30 pm IST. The game will be telecasted live on the Star Sports Network. Disney+HotStar and JioTV will also stream the match.