Will be playing for pride, says Ishfaq Ahmed ahead of Chennaiyin game

The interim head coach also admitted that the team is going through a tough situation.

On Sunday, Kerala Blasters will take on Chennaiyin FC in the Indian Super League (ISL), at the GMC Stadium in Bambolim, Goa. At the eighth and tenth places respectively on the points table, both the Marina Machans and the Yellow Army are already out of the playoffs race. They will hence be looking to simply end their campaigns on a positive note. KBFC interim head coach Ishfaq Ahmed mentioned the same in the pre-match press conference.

Young midfielder Ayush Adhikari too was in attendance at the pre-match media interaction event on Saturday.

Playing for pride

With just three wins and seven draws from 18 games, Kerala Blasters have gathered just 16 points so far in the league. To add to their misery, head coach Kibu Vicuna parted ways with the club earlier this week, following the embarrassing 4-0 defeat against playoffs hopefuls Hyderabad FC. Speaking about their current situation, Ishfaq Ahmed admitted that things are not very easy at the moment.

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"It's a difficult situation, we all know that. There is very little time to change things," he said.

"But, yes, there are things which we want to improve. The most important thing is that the boys are motivated. At the outset, you might feel that there is not much to play for, but I feel that there is everything to play for. We will be playing for pride. The boys are clearly up and ready for the next two matches," the 37-year-old added.

Ayush Adhikari's comments

After not making a single appearance for the team in their first 17 games, youngster Ayush Adhikari was given a few minutes of game-time in their most recent match against Hyderabad. He thus made his debut for the two-time ISL finalists as well.

"The debut was a memorable one for me. I was happy to finally get a chance to help my team. It was not a great day, but it gave me a great deal of motivation to push myself forward," the 20-year-old said.

When asked about his opinion on the team's ongoing league campaign, Adhikari also admitted that it has been a tough season for them. "It was a pretty hard season for us as a club. But, we surely learnt a lot of things and hopefully we will apply them in the games ahead," he signed off.