Kerala Blasters FC during a practice session in Kochi.Jamshedpur: Kerala Blasters FC will look to continue their good run against Jamshedpur FC when the two sides meet in an Indian Super League (ISL) tie here on Wednesday.
The Blasters, fresh from their fighting 1-0 away win over Mumbai City FC, are also riding high on the form of striker Iain Hume who is back among the goals after struggling for playing time under former head coach Rene Muelensteen.
The return of David James as head coach has also seen the Blasters revert to a more direct system and it will be interesting to see how Jamshedpur's miserly defense handles the pressure at home.
It should also be a fiery game, with Jamshedpur's grit formulated on the same base that their head coach Steve Coppell once gave Kerala Blasters in the past.
That said, Coppell was clear to speak his mind that it would take a higher level of refereeing decisions to see that the game did not end controversially.
"I think the referees haven't been up to the mark on the evidence of their displays so far. They have been found wanting and there have been a lot of games which have been decided on big decisions and later proved to be questionable. I am in favor of video review and every game is televised with 10 odd cameras and why don't we use this technology - it is being used in England and generally it has been a positive," he said.
At the same time, he was sympathetic towards referees, saying they were under pressure and deserved the video evidence support.
As for the game itself, Coppell said that there has been significant impact since David James joined as coach.
"The preparation we would make for this team three weeks ago is different from the preparation we are making for them for tomorrow's game. It's also a game we are desperate to win," he said.
Coppell's words are backed by the mathematical equation - if Jamshedpur lose, the gap between them and the top four will be at least four points or more.
James, who hasn't yet lost in his return to Kerala (one draw and two wins), sounded confident with his side's form, but also realizes that the games his side have won have kept him on the edge.
"The wins were vital. 1-0 is my favorite scoreline because it keeps you on the edge but the match against Mumbai was physically and mentally draining. But confidence is high and we look forward to the match," he said.
"It's difficult to predict the side, but there is a lot of energy in Jamshedpur and we expect an energetic match."
James also acknowledged that his side had too much quality to be languishing in the bottom half. But whether this quality will come up trumps against Jamshedpur is an entirely different story.
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