Kerala Blasters Team News
Kerala have themselves to blame for the mess they find themselves in. The team looked on course for victory against both FC Goa and Mumbai City, only to concede late and settle for a point. The concentration in the latter part of matches have let the team down. Add to the mix the fact that Jamshedpur FC have scored 4 of their 9 goals in the final 15 minutes of games, Schattorie's side have to be concerned. They have also shown a vulnerability while dealing with set-pieces.
"That (conceding late goals) has to do with the quality that you have in the team. One of the first things in team meetings at my previous clubs, one thing I keep repeating is that there has to be a mindset to have double alertness," said the Dutchman.
"Last week we had some mismatch during set-pieces. You have to find a solution, in this case, I tell my players to be a bit smarter, a bit meaner, to be street-smart," added Schattorie.
Though Raphael Messi Bouli has shone in attack of late, the absence of Bartholomew Ogbeche will weaken their frontline which has not exactly been on fire. The Men in Yellow have scored just six goals which is the second-lowest in the league.
But the return of influential midfielder Mario Arques will be a relief for Schattorie, though it is unsure if he will be fit enough to start.
Jamshedpur FC Team News
Jamshedpur FC, on the other hand, have shown fighting spirit and tactical flexibility in plenty so far. They love having the ball but are equally deadly on the counter, thanks to the pace they have on the wings. The likes of Farukh Chowdhury, CK Vineeth and Aniket Jadhav have all impressed down the wings.
Also, Iriondo has a knack of getting his substitutions to work. This season, substitutes have helped Jamshedpur FC win crucial points when losing or have given them the lead when things were at a stalemate on numerous occasions.
However, the absence of star striker Sergio Castel and midfielder Piti is bound to affect the team's gameplan and come as a relief of sorts to Kerala.
"I don't know how Kerala's winless run is going to affect the team but Kerala are a good team. They have not been lucky in the first part of the season due to factors like injuries. They try to play football, they have a good style. In this kind of short leagues, you don't have too much time," said Iriondo.
"Maybe Sergio and Piti were important for the team. Maybe if they were in the team, it would be different. We are missing them a bit now," he also admitted.
Head-to-Head
Kerala Blasters have never beaten Jamshedpur in four encounters between the two so far and they have won only two out of their last 10 home games. In their previous meeting Jamshedpur has won once and the outfits have played out three draws.
Prediction:
Heading into the match Jamshedpur are the clear favourites to collect full points against the hosts on Friday. The hosts, on the other hand, will be desperate to avoid a loss and hope for at least a draw at home against the visitors. Though JFC will go out all guns blazing and look to be the clear favourites of the match, the absence of star stiker Sergio Castel and Piti, may work in Kerala's favour and hand them a draw.
Probable line-ups
Kerala Blasters FC: TP Rehenesh (GK), Mohamad Rakip, Raju Gaikwad, Jessel Carneiro, Vlatko Drobarov, Jeakson Singh, Sergio Cidoncha, Rahul KP, Prasanth Karuthadathkuni, Messi Bouli, Sahal Abdul Samad
Jamshedpur FC: Subrata Paul (GK), Tiri, Joyner Lourenco, Memo Moura, Jitendra Singh, Narender Gahlot, Aitor Monroy, Robin Gurung, Mobashir Rahman, Farukh Choudhary, CK Vineeth
Match Info:
Match will kick off at 7:30pm IST
Live on Star Sports Network
Live Streaming on Hotstar & Jio TV
Source: ISL Media