Hero Indian Super League (ISL) 2017-18’s debutants cross swords for the first time as Bengaluru FC host Jamshedpur FC at the Sree Kanteerava Stadium in Bengaluru on Thursday. Both teams are coming off the back of home defeats in their previous fixtures and will be eager to make amends. Speaking to the media at the pre-match press conference was Jamshedpur’s head coach, Steve Coppell.

He began by admitting that while they have one of the strongest defensive units, the team has to work on scoring. “From day one, we have focused a lot on having a solid foundation,” Coppell said. “We work quite hard on our defensive structures. We are very mindful at the moment of not being very prolific in front of goal ourselves. We need to improve, and we know that. In training, we take every opportunity to try and improve in that department. As of yet it hasn’t happened, but I am confident that it will happen as the games progress.”

Coppell acknowledged the fact that their defensive lynchpin Anas Edathodika has been a big miss in their recent matches. “We had a thought process in mind when we selected him, and it was obviously to play him,” he said. “To have a strong Indian player at the centre of defence means you can play an extra international player up the field. Not having Anas available has obviously affected our firepower. We’re hopeful that he’ll recover soon. So it’s affected us without doubt. The sooner he comes back the happier we’re going to be.”

The Englishman also seemed slightly worried about the scheduling of their fixtures in the league. “We play seven times in 25 days,” Coppell stated. “The nature of the league creates its own demands. We have too much time in between games and in January, with the travelling, three days between games. The balance isn’t right yet. It could be that the season is a little compromised by the scheduling.”

He wrapped up by saying that he was looking forward to visiting Bengaluru for the first time. “From Bengaluru’s point of view, they have an option to make a lot of changes,” he inferred. “Three full days at home between games isn’t too bad. I haven’t been here before. I’m looking forward to it. It looks like a terrific surface.”