Kochi, Friday, March 20, 2026: Punjab FC will hope to maintain their unbeaten run in the Indian Super League 2025-26 season as they face winless Kerala Blasters FC at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Kochi on Saturday, March 21, 2026. The match is scheduled to kick-off at 19:30 IST.

The match will be streamed live on FanCode and telecast on Sony Sports TEN 2.

Punjab FC have bounced back from their first-round loss against Jamshedpur FC by being unbeaten in their last three fixtures which included a win against Bengaluru FC and two draws against NorthEast United FC and FC Goa. On the other hand, Kerala Blasters have had a terrible start to the season, losing their first four matches, including three at home.

In the last round, Blasters secured their first point of the season after a 1-1 draw against East Bengal courtesy of a stoppage time equaliser by Muhammad Ajsal. The Shers also drew their previous match 1-1 against FC Goa, with goalscorer Nsungusi Effiong receiving a red card at the start of the second half. The side from Mohali will be missing the services of their top scorer for the next three matches.

Speaking ahead of the match, Kerala Blasters Head Coach David Català said, “We performed better than in other games in the last match. We showed character and competed, especially in the first half against them. I’m satisfied with the point, but I’m not really satisfied with the situation overall. But this is a way to start, a way to believe. Maybe we expected not to have problems in that situation, but we have to believe in the way we performed the other day and continue believing that the situation is going to get better.”

The Shers are currently eighth in the table with five points from four matches while Blasters are languishing at 13^th place in the table with just one point from five matches.

Speaking about their recent performances, Punjab FC Head Coach Panagiotis Dilmperis said, “During all our games this season, not only the one’s we tied, we were better than the opponents. We did not let them come inside our box and we are creating plenty of chances on the other end. I think for us the most important thing is quicker decision-making and quicker finishing, and of course scoring goals.”

Both teams have faced each other four times in the ISL with both teams winning two matches each, which came away from home for both teams. In the last meeting between the teams, Blasters edged Punjab FC1-0 with Noah Sadaoui scoring the winner in New Delhi. In Kochi, they beat the home side 2-1 which was also Dilmperis’s first match in charge of the side.

Both Head Coaches had mutual respect for each other before the crucial fixture. “They are a very difficult team to play against. They are compact in defence and know exactly what they have to do. When they score, it’s very difficult to come back against them”, said Kerala Blasters Head Coach David Català.

Speaking about the opposition, Dilmperis said, “The last two games of Kerala against Chennaiyin and East Bengal showed that Kerala's players have good potential and they deserve better results. I think it's very crucial for us to deal with the excitement that they might have at the beginning of the game”.

Speaking about playing in his home state, Punjab FC defender Muhammad Uvais said, “I'm happy to play in my hometown. And I'm looking forward to playing a good match here. In the camp, we are taking every match one by one. Every match is like a final because it is a short season. We will do our maximum and play well to get the best result.”

“We have a clear plan from the coach, and he has explained how we should approach the game. Punjab is strong in attack and good in transitions. We need to stay focused, give our 100%, and try to get the three points”, said Kerala Blasters defender Aiban Dohling about the approach for tomorrow’s match.

“We didn’t have a great start in the first few games, but we improved in the last match. The new players have helped us, especially in defence. The energy in the team is very positive, and we are looking forward to tomorrow’s game”, the defender said.

Punjab FC have good memories of playing in Kochi and will hope continue that experience against a Kerala Blasters side who are low on confidence but have started to show signs of improvement.