Match 29 of the Hero Indian Super League (Hero ISL) 2018-19 campaign promises a mouth-watering contest between Kerala Blasters FC and Bengaluru FC at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Kochi. Kerala have had an unbeaten start to the season, but wins have been hard to come by for the men in yellow, who have drawn four matches on a trot after winning the season opener against ATK.

Ahead of the heavyweight clash, Kerala assistant coach Hermann Hreiðarsson and veteran striker CK Vineeth spoke to the media at the pre-match press conference. Vineeth stated that the team was prepared and confident going into the match against a strong Bengaluru outfit, who have already secured 10 points from four matches this season. “Every team is best. Every team is good, but we are expecting to win everywhere. Tomorrow’s match is something that we should win. If we are playing good, we will win. We are confident that we will play well. The rest we will see on the pitch,” he said.

Vineeth also reviewed his team’s performance so far this season and said, “Other than the first half against Jamshedpur, I think we played well. We were under control on every match. We just didn’t score enough goals. That’s the only issue I can think of.”

Assistant coach Hreiðarsson started off by informing the press that he had no idea what his team’s starting XI will be for the match, but hinted at some changes. “I’m not going to tell you because we don’t know yet. But we played two tough games in a short period of time. There will be some changes, but I’m not too sure what changes will be there. We’ll know later in the evening and the decision will be made after that,” he said.

The Blasters, though unbeaten, have collected just seven points from five games so far this season. Hreiðarsson, however, felt that his team deserved more considering their level of performances, particularly in the last few matches. “The main thing is that we are playing quite well. We have played 5 games, we’re unbeaten. In the last 135 minutes, we have had the ball for 70% of it and created lots of chances, corners, shots. What you are after as a coach is performance and I have been really happy with what I’ve seen in the last game and half,” he opined.

The assistant coach also heaped praise on the opponents but reiterated that his team will be gunning for all three points and nothing less. “Bengaluru are one of the best teams in the land. This isn’t a make or break match for us. But we go into every game to win three points. We are desperate for a win. We will be up there tomorrow to get three points. That’s a guarantee,” he concluded.

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