Kerala Blasters’ four-match unbeaten run will undergo a strong test from an Atlético de Kolkata side hungry to take back top spot in the Hero Indian Super League table, having been displaced for the first time this season after Chennaiyin’s 3-1 win over Pune City on November 19. Head coach and marquee player David James gave due respect to his opponents when addressing the media on the eve of the match. He said, “Kolkata is a very talented team, probably one of the best teams in the league so far. Interestingly they have fielded same squad for most of their matches, which show that they have a very fit side as well. Their away form is also good. So it won’t be an easy match, but our intention is to try and win tomorrow’s game.”He was all praise for the loud Kerala fans, saying it was an advantage to “have the best fans in India rooting for you as it helps to try and win the game.” Kerala Blasters have produced one of the best performances defensively, with its central defensive partnership ranked as the top in the league. James himself is also in the pole position for the ISL Golden Glove at the moment with four consecutive clean sheets. But the marquee keeper acknowledged the fact that stopping goals is not enough.When asked whether the unbeaten record at home will be an advantage, James replied that the team’s ambition was to win every home game, although he lamented the draws against Mumbai and Delhi. He also was quick to dismiss the concern that the forwards are not scoring goals – Kerala currently have the joint-lowest goals tally in the league. “It is not necessary that central forwards have to score to win the match as was proven against Delhi. The beauty of the side at the moment is that the goals, even though there have been few, have been coming from different positions and not just the forwards. We have been working on a few things to get strikers to score more goals as well. We will keep working on this.”Sushanth Mathew, who accompanied his head coach for the media interaction also sounded confident going into the match. “Having been able to draw Kolkata at their home ground shows that we played a good game against them. Now they are playing at our turf, which makes it much more difficult for them. We are certainly going to play for a win,” said the midfielder.The team has also received a boost with Michael Chopra joining training and looking good after slotting in two neat goals during the practice session. David James was happy that the injury list is reducing, which is good for the squad. The availability of Mehtab Hussain is still uncertain though as James refused to throw in any hints regarding tomorrow’s squad or game plan. “The strategy is to score more goals than the opponents. As far as the squad is concerned, it is a big game and everyone wants to play. I am going to have a headache picking the squad!” David James said, signing off on a lighter note.
