Chennaiyin FC travel to the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Kochi on Friday to take on Kerala Blasters FC in Hero Indian Super League (ISL) 2017-18. The 2015 champions know that a win in the southern derby can help them seal a spot in the playoffs, but they will be wary of the good run Kerala are on. Chennaiyin’s super-sub Mohammed Rafi lived up to his reputation by scoring a crucial equaliser late on in his team’s last match against Jamshedpur FC. On the eve of the encounter against their southern rivals, the 35-year-old spoke to indiansuperleague.com and shared his thoughts. Here are the excerpts.

How does it feel facing Kerala Blasters FC?

I am very happy to come here again to Kerala, because my hometown is Kerala. I used to play for Kerala Blasters FC, and now I am playing for Chennaiyin FC. We want to win. All of my family is coming to watch the match tomorrow. So, I am very happy.

What are your thoughts on tomorrow’s match?

Tomorrow is a big match. Kerala is a good team. But we want the win which would guarantee us a place in the playoffs.

Who do you think is the player to look out for in Kerala Blasters FC?

All the players of Kerala Blasters FC are good players. There is (CK) Vineeth, (Sandesh) Jhingan, Rino Anto and of course (Wes) Brown. They are a good team.

Any message to the fans before the game?

Kerala Blasters fans are there all over the world. Tomorrow we will have Chennaiyin fans too coming to watch the game. This is a derby match, so try and support as much as you can.