ISL 2025-26: Oscar Bruzon expresses his confidence ahead Kerala Blasters FC clash

East Bengal will lock horns against Kerala Blasters FC at Salt Lake Stadium.

East Bengal FC look to get back their winning streak in the Indian Super League (ISL) 2025-26 when they face off against Kerala Blasters FC, on Saturday (14 March 2026) at the Salt Lake Stadium, Kolkata. The match is scheduled to take place at the Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan (VYBK), Kolkata, at 5 PM IST.

Oscar Bruzon’s side started pretty well in this year’s ISL with two back-to-back wins on their home turf against NorthEast United FC and SC Delhi despite missing a few of their key players like Rakip, Mahesh, Saul Crespo and Kevin Sibille.

But they were defeated by Jamshedpur FC (2-1) and had to settle for a goalless draw against FC Goa in their last two home games at the VYBK Stadium, Kolkata. After the last two results, somehow the Red and Gold Brigade have lost their rhythm in this year’s truncated league, which is getting intense and highly competitive, game by game.

The match against Kerala Blasters FC is now a chance to redeem themselves and prove that the Torchbearers are here to compete. Their primary aim will be to fetch all three points and finish in the top half of the points table. Ahead of the all-important clash, East Bengal FC head coach Oscar Bruzon and Edmund Lalrindika addressed the media.

Here is a detailed report of the pre-match press conference between East Bengal FC and Kerala Blasters FC.

Oscar Bruzon’s aim is to finish at the top half of the Points Table

One again East Bengal head coach Oscar Bruzon specifically cleared about his and his team’s objective in this year’s ISL.

He stated, “Last year, I came to East Bengal during the fourth match of the ISL, and it took us six matches to get our first point. But this year we’ve got seven points from the first four matches. In the history of ISL, this is East Bengal’s best start. And tomorrow there is a chance to get ten points from 5 matches, which means, on average, per match, it is two points.

So I will not change my objective. And I haven’t seen any team in my whole career which used to finish in the bottom half of the table for the last four years, suddenly become champions. It is good that everyone is thinking and believing that East Bengal is capable of winning the league this year. We as a team know our strengths, objectives and where we are currently standing.

We want to finish in the top half of the points table. If we play well, we can also target the top six. But it will be better if we can finish at top five where we are currently placed in the points table. Anything other than these is now a distant dream for us. Those who are spreading all this news and stories either want to create rifts within the team or want to spread negativity within the team intentionally. But we don’t give any importance to all these beliefs within the team.”

“There are some people associated with East Bengal club who don’t like too see the improvement and growth of the.That is why they are spreading some fake narratives about the frustration of the fans regarding the team’s performance, which is not true. In the last few matches they shouted against me, my other support staff and my players. But we know them very well, the players, support staff and everyone in the management also knows them very well.

Every time when the situation is not favourable, they try to show their real face and try to take all the limelight. This year all the technical decisions of the club are being executed in a different way. May be in the past the people who used to take these decisions are not happy and whenever they are getting any chance they are creating controversies,” he also added.

Oscar gave updates on the availability of Saul Crespo and Kevin Sibille

Oscar Bruzon said that Saul Crespo is almost fit and ready to take the field again, but Kevin Sibille will take some more time to recover and is expected to be available after the FIFA International break in March.

The Spaniard stated: “Yes Saul Crespo will play tomorrow. I am not sure whether he will start or not but will definitely enjoy some game time. He was involved in all the training sessions last week. Saul is an important player of the, he’s the captain of the team as well and his contributions in the midfield is very important for the team.”

“And regarding Kevin’s recovery, the medical report that we have received two days ago clearly states that he has almost recovered from the injury. He’s now in a better position than before, but the muscle-cramps will take more 5-7 days to recover. So we will not get Kevin before the FIFA International break but he will definitely play an important role in the last seven matches of this year’s ISL,” he also said.

“Miguel is a very important player for us” – Oscar Bruzon

The Spanish gaffer praised his Brazilian playmaker Miguel Figueira ahead of the Kerala Blasters clash and also mentioned about his workload management.

He stated: “Yes Miguel is a very important player for our team this year. Last match he was taking a lot of pressure as he was creating those balls almost from the defensive zone, and in the second half was operating from the midfield and the wings as it was part of the plan. It is good to see that coaches of the other teams are aware of his threat and have different plans for him.

But we have to remember that football is a game of eleven players, and we have to manage his work-load as well. But at the same time tomorrow we have different plans regarding the playing style of Miguel as we know he is in constant vigilance of the opponent defenders,” he added.

Oscar’s thoughts on Kerala Blasters and East Bengal’s Strategy

Oscar Bruzon is aware of his opponent and explained how they will approach the match against Kerala Blasters FC.

He explained: “Kerala Blasters is a very good opponent. Yes they didn’t start the season well but tomorrow they will be eager to get their first three points. They will come hard on us defensively and will try to create a lot chances and capitalize on those chances. They are very good in set pieces too. Facing all the teams this year will be a challenge, Kerala have signed three new foreigners from the last season so it will be a tough match for us tomorrow.”

“Yes we were facing a lot of competitive disadvantages like injuries and all in the last few matches so we were not able to reach the peak of our performance. But now the situation is quite stable, so tomorrow our aim will be to get all the three points, and get back to winning ways. In the last two matches we were a better team on the field than our opponent but couldn’t capitalize on the chances that we’ve created. So we need to learn from those mistakes and capitalize, so the game against Kerala is very important for us as well,” he also added.

Oscar’s message for the Supporters and the Fans

Oscar Bruzon said: “Yes the supporters are the main pillar of this team and this club. I have received a lot messages from our fans on my social media handles in last few days. They are not at all disappointed with the team’s performance. Instead they are very much in support with what we are doing. I think the fans who supported the team during the tough times are the real ones and the ones who are spreading rumours and fake narratives are doing this intentionally to create division within the team. We don’t give any importance to all of these narratives.

Our objective is very clear and we need the all the real supporters for the further progress of the club. I am not here to change the narratives but yes I am here to take East Bengal to better position, as the club was going through a difficult phase for a long time. A club like East Bengal with so much history and legacy is always here to compete with other best clubs of the country and believe in the fact that we want to do well and for that we need the support of our fans. And yes this year our aim is to finish within top 5-6 of the points table,” he finished off with.

Edmund Lalrindika is fortunate to play for East Bengal FC

Along with head coach Oscar Bruzon, Edmund Lalrindika also answered few question from the media before the match against Kerala Blasters FC. He appreciated the management of East Bengal club and is happy with the team’s performance so far.

Edmund said: “Injury is a part of football, when I was going through an ACL injury, received good support from the club at that time and was able to recover. Then I had played for Inter Kashi and won the I-league and came back to East Bengal again. I love East Bengal a lot, and happy to be back here at East Bengal. As you said, about the fan-favourite thing which I liked a lot but again I want to play more matches and win those matches for East Bengal.”

“I like to play more on the wings. But I am ready to play in any position where the coach wants me to play. Yes I have scored many goals in the last few matches, but individual milestones do not matter for me, the team always comes at first. As far as the team is doing well, I am happy to score goals and contribute for the betterment of the team.”

“In football sometime you win, sometime you lose. But we ready for the Kerala Blasters challenge, our preparation is very good, so we want win tomorrow and grab all the three points from the match,” he finished off with.

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