Always difficult to play a former champion: Frank Dauwen

Frank Dauwen shed light on the availability of some Kerala Blasters players.

A super Sunday awaits in the Indian Super League, as Mumbai City host Kerala Blasters in a game that will guarantee goals, drama and excitement.

The two teams are amongst the strongest sides in the league, and their face off will be nothing short of a spectacle. Kerala’s perfect start to the season will be tested tomorrow, as Des Buckingham and his troop will look to glide past with a win on home turf.

With a pretty fixture awaiting them, Kerala Blasters' assistant coach Frank Dauwen spoke to the media. Here are the excerpts from the conversation.

Preparations ahead of the game 

In what is to be their first fixture away from home this season, Kerala Blasters take on a pretty tough challenge, as they face Mumbai City FC. The Blasters have enjoyed a great start to the season, and would want to continue their perfect record in the league.

“When you play against a champion from last year, it's always difficult because Mumbai City is a very good team. We started well in the competition and have six points in two games. So we have confidence and I hope we are going to play a good game,” said Frank Dauwen on the eve of the game.

“I think the team is ready. When you see the chances we conceded, it's not a lot. So the balance in the team is alright. We also have Luna (Adrian) and Dimi (Diamantakos), players who can make the difference up front. So that balance helped us in the first two games. Hopefully we can continue the same tomorrow,” he added.

Team News 

Frank Dauwen also threw some light on the availability of his players for Sunday’s showdown at Mumbai. “We have the same squad as last weekend, except Pandita (Ishan) is not fit and also Saurav (Mandal). Rahul KP and Bryce Miranda are coming back from the national team,” the Belgian revealed.

Improvements from the past season

Kerala Blasters' midfield maestro Jeakson Singh shared his views on his team's improvement compared from last season.

“We had a really bad time last year. This year we started well and I know they (Mumbai City) have a strong team with good players. But we have come here to fight, to compete, and get positive results. So we will give everything possible to get the same,” said Jeakson.