Kerala and Jamshedpur eyeing first ISL win

Kochi, November 23: Both Kerala Blasters FC and Jamshedpur FC will be looking for their first win and goal of Hero Indian Super League's (ISL) fourth season when they cross swords at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Kochi on Friday (november 24).

The Blasters did not quite gel as a unit in their season opener against defending champions ATK but managed to secure a point after surviving ATK's onslaughts.

Jamshedpur FC also head into the contest on the back of a similar situation after grabbing a point against NorthEast United FC.

The Highlanders were wasteful in front of goal, while Jamshedpur custodian Subrata Paul did his bit by making a string of splendid saves to rescue the 10-men debutants.

The newcomers will also be without the versatile Andre Bikey for their match against Kerala after he picked up a straight red in their previous outing.

KEY STATS

Three former Kerala Blasters players will make a return to Kochi donning Jamshedpur colours: Kervens Belfort, Mehtab Hossain and Farukh Choudhary

This is the first time Steve Coppell and Ishfaq Ahmed return to Kerala as head coach and assistant coach of the opposition

KEY PLAYERS

Courage Pekuson (Kerala Blasters FC)

The 22-year-old midfielder showed immense desire while getting forward in attack in Kerala's previous encounter. The ATK defence found it difficult dealing with his pace, however, his touch let him down occasionally. The Ghanaian youngster will certainly be a handful for opposition defences to handle once he settles into his new surroundings and gets more minutes under his belt.

Izu Azuka (Jamshedpur FC)

A livewire in Jamshedpur's attack against the Highlanders, the 28-year-old will once again be a threat when his team visits Kerala. A hostile environment to play in no doubt, but the Nigerian can be a game-changer in Jamshedpur's quest for their first Hero ISL win with his raw pace and awareness inside the opposition box.

Match begins at 8pm local time, live on Star Sports 2.

(ISL media)