Excitement will be brewing in the state of Kerala on Saturday, as the passionate Keralites come together at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in the beautiful city of Kochi to make their voices heard behind their favourite club - Kerala Blasters FC. Playing their third match of the Hero Indian Super League (ISL) 2018-19 season, the ‘Yellow Army’ will be hosting the club from the capital - Delhi Dynamos FC in an attempt to grab top spot in the league standings.

With the football festival slowly taking over the nation, Indian football legend and Kerala’s very own, I M Vijayan can’t stay away from all the excitement as well. Kerala have won one and drawn one against ATK and Mumbai City FC, respectively, garnering four points out of a possible six in the process. When asked about his opinion on Kerala’s steady start to the season, the 49-year-old said, “If you are asking about the status of the team, there are both positives and negatives. We won the first match and the second was a draw.”

He went on to further elaborate on their two previous matches, “The first match was in Kolkata, so we gained a victory over a good team. The second match, which we played against Mumbai City, was a draw. We played well in the first half, but the second half was the direct opposite. After the first 45 minutes, we really didn’t play well and we didn’t lose the game because of luck. The match concluded in a draw, but it was difficult. “

However, Vijayan was sure that David James’ men would be up to the task when they meet a shaky Delhi unit. “It (late goals) is not going to affect the team now, but it may be an issue as we go further into the season. As long as we are winning our home matches, there is no problem. But if we start losing home matches, it will become really difficult. If the team can perform like the first 45 minutes they played against Mumbai, they can win. They can win for sure.”

Kerala boasts of one of the most ardent fanbases in the country, who regularly flock the Kochi stadium in huge numbers to urge their team on, making it difficult for away teams to find composure. This very fact was voiced by the legend himself, who stressed how important it was for David James to ensure his team takes full advantage of the home atmosphere. “We should win the home match at any cost. We have so much support, so, of course, we can win. The support from the fans is good enough to provide double the energy. Surely we can expect a good result.”

Watch his full interview here: