Kerala Blasters are unbeaten so its going to be difficult against them– Carles Cuadrat

The JSW Group-owned side are currently fourth in the table, while the Kochi outift team are sixth.

With the fifth edition of the ISL having already taken its course, Kerala Blasters host Bengaluru FC in a fierce derby encounter tomorrow. The Sandesh Jhingan-led side have played five games so far this season, having won only one and drawn four. Elsewhere, the Sunil Chhetri-led team have registered three victories from four games, with their only draw coming against Jamshedpur FC.

Ahead of tomorrow's much-awaited clash, Bengaluru FC's Carles Cuadrat and Kerala Blasters' Hermann Hreiðarsson met the media in Kochi.

Coach's Corner

Hermann Hreiðarsson (Kerala Blasters)

Hermann praised his side, pointing out their recent statistics

Anas Edathodika has not started for Kerala Blasters this season. When asked if he would be playing tomorrow, the Blasters' Icelandic assistant coach Hermann Hreiðarsson hinted that there would be some changes, but did not reveal the exact ones. Hermann said, "I am not going to tell you. We had two tough games. So, there will probably be some changes, But, which changes, I'm not sure yet."  

The coach also admitted that he was happy with his team's performances so far this season "The main thing is that we played five games and we are unbeaten. Last 135 minutes, we had the ball for 70%. We created a lot of chances, a lot of half chances, there were a lot of corners.  We cannot always guarantee goals. I am really happy with what I have seen."

"Bengaluru FC are one of the best teams in the league. So, this is not make or break for us. We go into every game going to get three points. We are desperate for a win. We have been so close on many occasions. We will be there tomorrow trying to take three points. That's a guarantee." the assistant added.

Carles Cuadrat (Bengaluru FC)

Cuadrat praised Nishu Kumar for his displays this season

Bengaluru FC have only conceded three goals this season - the least by any side so far - and they have achieved this in the absence of John Johnson and Subhasish Bose, who joined ATK and Mumbai City respectively.

When asked if the performance of their defenders has gone under the radar Cuadrat said, "Of course, [The absence of] John Johnson and Subhashish make a big problem which have to address because they are good players. John, we all know what he can give to the team, I'm very happy with the way the boys are working. Albert and Nishu, they are doing a very good job. I'm happy with the intensity they put in the defence. Two of them [goals they conceded] were against JFC, we were tired. We made some mistakes. In general, they are working very well. 

When asked about what he thought about Kerala Blasters the Spanish coach admitted that the Blasters had been unlucky to have some draws. He said, "I think they are competing very well. They were unlucky to have some draws. They are a well-worked side in defence, so it will be difficult to score goals. In attack, they have some good transfers. They are unbeaten and things are going to be difficult."

The quality of refereeing in the ISL has been questioned in recent days as some dreadful decisions have seen teams missing out on points they deserved. When asked about that, Cuadrat said, "Well, I think there is something happening in the refereeing. In my point of view, it is the difference of criteria in some action. You see sometimes there is a big fault and there is no yellow card and you saw the game against Pune City, there were two red cards, this is one of the problems.  They try to do their work as they can. They are the centre of the focus, so, they receive a lot of pressure. "

"They work very hard. I'm supporting the referees. But, making myself clear, what is important is to know what is a yellow card, what is a red card. In Spain, we are with VAR. Barcelona get a red card, because a player was making a push. The controversy in Spain is when the VAR is acting. It is not a question in India, it happens everywhere. It is a question of criteria." he added.

Team News

Kerala Blasters

Hermann confirmed that they have no injury concerns. 

Bengaluru FC

The JSW-owned club go into the match with a fully fit squad.

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Probable Lineups

Kerala Blasters

Dheeraj, Rakip, Jhingan, Anas, Kali, Krcmarevic, Sahal, Doungel, Vineeth, Slavisa, Matej.

Bengaluru FC

Gurpreet, Bheke, Serran, Juanan, Nishu, Paartulu, Khabra, Udanta, Xisco, Chhetri, Miku.

Did You Know?

• Bengaluru have conceded the least amount of goals this season (three).

• In their last encounter, Kerala lost to hosts Bengaluru, 2-0.

• This season, the David James-managed side have scored 42.9% of their goals between the 75th to 90th-minute.

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Broadcast

The game will take place on Monday at 7:30 PM IST, in the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium. It will be telecasted on Star Sports 3, JioTV and Hotstar