Vasco (Goa), Jan 9 Fifth-placed Jamshedpur FC are looking to get back into the top four of the Indian Super League (ISL) with a win over Kerala Blasters at the Tilak Maidan Stadium on Sunday.
Jamshedpur are on 13 points after nine games and a victory against Kerala could push them to third spot. They have lost just two matches the second-lowest tally in the league.
No doubt, the 1-0 victory over playoff contenders Bengaluru would have boosted their morale. But one thing that Coach Coyle wants is that his side doesn't get carried away at this stage of the season.
Kerala, on the other hand, have thus far been below par this season and come into the match after a 4-2 defeat to Odisha FC. It was the first win that Odisha recorded this season and it left Kerala second last on the league table. Jamshedpur coach Owen Coyle, however, feels Kerala have been unlucky and his team has to be wary of their opponents.
"If you look at Kerala's games, they have been very unlucky. The other night, they lost 4-2 but Kerala could have easily scored 5-6 goals," Coyle said. "When teams have had disappointments this way, they can be very dangerous, so we have to make sure we're ready for that."
Kerala coach Kibu Vicuna believes his side are still in contention for the playoffs. Vicuna found success at Bagan with an attacking and possession-based brand of football, but has found it tough to get results with an injury-marred Kerala side, who have claimed just one win. However, the Spaniard refused to attribute Blasters' poor results to his style.
"It is not a question of style," Vicuna said. "The team (I had at Mohun Bagan) is different, the players are different. We started well this season and now we are making changes, we are not playing the same as we did at the beginning. It is not a question of being stubborn with the style, because we are changing things every game, we are approaching every match differently since we are playing different teams. We are focusing on our game as well as the style of our opponents."
( With inputs from IANS )
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