ISL 2021: Winless Kerala Blasters face in-form Odisha

The Blasters will be desperate to register their first win of the ISL this season. They are, though, up against a side that blasted six goals in its last match.

Blasters are yet to register a win in three outings this ISL season.

Kerala Blasters hasn’t won a game in the Indian Super League (ISL) its three attempts yet. Odisha FC has won both its games.

Odisha has scored nine goals in two matches, while Blasters have managed just three in three.

So there is no prize for guessing which team is in better form as Blasters and Odisha face off at Bambolim on Sunday. The Blasters will be desperate to register their first win of the ISL this season. They are, though, up against a side that blasted six goals in its last match.

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The 6-4 victory against East Bengal must no doubt have been a big morale-booster for the Odisha men. They had opened their campaign on a confident note too, beating Bengaluru FC 3-1.

Their rival on Sunday, though, had lost 2-4 to ATK Mohun Bagan in its opening match and gone on to draw the following two games (0-0 with NorthEast United and 1-1 with Bengaluru FC).

Blasters needs to come up with a much improved show – especially up front -- against a team that seems determined to shrug off the horrors of last season, in which it had finished at bottom. The Kochi side had ended up just a place above, but it has not quite been able to turn things round in the new season.

Coach Ivan Vukomanovic feels his team should have won against NorthEast. “We had our moments against Bengaluru,” he said. “We were missing that last pass.”

Odisha’s coach Kiko Ramirez expects a strong challenge from Blasters. “They have been working hard, though they haven’t been getting good results,” he said.