Kerala Blasters FC travel to Chennaiyin FC for the second southern derby of Hero Indian Super League (ISL) 2017-18 at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Chennai on Friday. The Blasters secured their first win of the season after getting the better of NorthEast United FC in their previous fixture and will want to carry the winning momentum into an electrifying clash. Speaking to the media during the pre-match press conference was Kerala’s head coach Rene Meulentseen.

The Dutchman explained how he coached his players after a particularly tough patch where they could not pick up any win. “It is always about reassuring players that we are undergoing a long process of developing the team and the individuals, and piece by piece, we try to put all the pieces of the jigsaw together,” he said. “I think you can see a bit of the progress going forward and in creating chances – opening teams up and scoring a few good goals, and hopefully we can continue to do that.”

Kerala play back-to-back games against southern rivals Chennaiyin and Bengaluru FC. Meulensteen, however, doesn’t seem very concerned about playing consecutive derbies. “This is what you want to look forward to as a sportsman – to play in the big games,” he said. “They (Chennaiyin FC and Bengaluru FC) are two teams that are at the top of the table, so we know that we are up against really good teams. Chennai is a really good outfit, and the manager has got them playing through their strengths. They have some top players, and they are there for a reason. We have sort of stumbled into the season, trying to find our way, so it is going to be a good game for sure.”

Meulensteen did have some worrying news regarding Kerala’s Dimitar Berbatov, who has been side-lined through injury of late, and Pritam Singh. “(Dimitar) Berbatov is still recovering from his calf strain,” he revealed. “Unfortunately, we also had a little bit of an instance with Pritam who dislocated his shoulder in training, so he is out.”

Before wrapping up, the 53-year-old also mentioned that his team stand a strong chance of making it to the semi-finals. “You have to stick to your plan from the beginning, which was to get into the semis,” Meulensteen stated. “What you do try to do is to finish as high as possible. And, we are just a few games into the league now, with many games yet to be played, so don’t write any team off. Our target is simple – we want to get into the playoffs, and that is what we are aiming for.”