Jamshedpur, Oct 28: Jamshedpur FC will look for their first home win of the 2018-19 Indian Super League (ISL) when they take on Kerala Blasters at the JRD Tata Sports Complex in the Indian Super League (ISL) on Monday.
Two unbeaten sides will also be looking for their second win in the tournament after playing series of draw.
The teams are yet to lose a game this season but have just a win to show for their efforts. While the home team have played out three successive draws after their win over Mumbai City in the opener, the visitors have been involved in two draws after winning their opener against ATK.
Jamshedpur FC, with a possession-based style of play, have dominated games but their failure to convert chances and a lack of accuracy in shooting has contributed to their plight. The fact that star striker Tim Cahill is yet to attain complete match fitness could be an issue for coach Cesar Ferrando.
The Australian will play a part at some point against Kerala and the Men of Steel will look to him to provide some inspiration up front.
Defensively, they have looked good with Tiri marshalling the backline commendably. Mario Arques and Memo will be looking to dominate Kerala in midfield and set the tempo for Ferrando�s side.
Youngster Mobashir Rahman is still injured for Jamshedpur and Ferrando will have to make do without him.
The Men of Steel lie at the sixth position. Three points will be extremely important for them as a result. While their midfield, pioneered by Mario Arques and Memo, has been very good, the attack has flattered to deceive. They have not been converting their chances and the accuracy of shooting has been below par.
On the other hand, Kerala Blasters will be hoping to avoid a repeat of last season’s performance against Jamshedpur when the match played at the JRD Tata Sports Complex saw Jerry Mawihmingthanga scoring the fastest goal in the history of ISL in the first minute.
They won 2-0 in the first game in ISL against ATK and the next two games ended in a draw as Blasters failed to close the game out after taking the lead in their last two matches.
Jamshedpur are expected to hog the ball against Kerala who will favour a more direct approach, staying true to their managers� nationalities. It makes for an intriguing battle!