ISL 2024-25: Kerala Blasters faces challenging task against league leader Bengaluru FC

While the Kochi side could gain confidence from its robust home support, Blasters coach Stahre will be wary of the fact that Bengaluru is currently the league leader and has not lost a single game this season.

Kerala Blasters players during a training session ahead of the match. | Photo Credit: Thulasi Kakkat/The Hindu

Kerala Blasters will clash against Bengaluru FC in an Indian Super League 2024-25 Southern Derby at the Nehru Stadium in Kochi on Friday.

While the Kochi side could gain confidence from its robust home support from the famous Manjapaddas, Blasters head coach Mikael Stahre will be wary of the fact that Bengaluru is currently the league leader and has not lost a single game this season.

“It will be a hard home game. We know Bengaluru is a very good team. It has not conceded a goal yet, hopefully tomorrow. That’s absolutely our target. And we need to attack fast,” Stahre said on Thursday during the pre-match press conference.

“We want to play a kind of football that is also energetic so that the fans can feel that. That’s the aim for every home match.”

Meanwhile, Bengaluru head coach Gerard Zaragoza believes his defender Naorem Roshan Singh, who also scored the match-winner against Punjab FC in the last game, could pose problems for opponents.

“He is improving in defence. It is too difficult to attack Roshan. In one-on-one situations, he is very good. He has a lot of confidence, and we are working with him to arrive more (often in the box) because he’s helping us as a winger,” Zaragoza said.