ISL 2024-25: Goal-fest in sight as dynamic Chennaiyin FC chase win against Kerala Blasters FC

Kochi: A long-standing and fascinating southern rivalry will reawaken when Kerala Blasters FC and Chennaiyin FC go against each other at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Kochi in the Indian Super League (ISL) 2024-25 on Sunday.

Both teams have played eight matches thus far, with Chennaiyin FC placed fourth thanks to three wins and Kerala Blasters FC positioned 10th with two wins and draws each to their name.

Given the slender difference in the number of victories they have garnered so far, things could change pretty quickly in the standings and both teams will be cautious of ceding any ground, particularly to begin the post-international break phase on a strong footing.

Chennaiyin FC have notched 16 goals, which is their highest such tally after eight games in any season. Their goal difference of +4 is the second-best at this stage after 2017-18, when it was +5. They have averaged 25.3 touches inside the opposition’s box per game in the current campaign, which shows their relentless pursuit of finding breakthroughs past their defensive unit.

Chennaiyin FC had won their most recent match against Kerala Blasters FC by 1-0 in February 2024. It was a remarkable feat since they had been winless in their last seven encounters against the Kochi-based team. Now, they will be chasing back-to-back triumphs against this opposition for the first time since 2019-20.

Kerala Blasters FC have netted in each of their last 15 home games. A strike in the coming match will equal the longest goal-scoring run at home by any side in the competition’s history alongside Bengaluru FC (January 2018 to March 2019), Chennaiyin FC (November 2016 to October 2018) and Delhi Dynamos FC (October 2015 to December 2016). This fact shows that they always believe in taking the game to the opposition when playing in their backyard.

Kerala Blasters FC have conceded the most penalties (5) in ISL 2024-25, whereas Chennaiyin FC follow them closely (4) in this regard. This does suggest that the scales of the encounter could tilt in either team’s favour through their performance and composure from the spot.

Kerala Blasters FC head coach Mikael Stahre said that his team needs to fix some defensive issues, but highlighted an important issue that might have slipped under the radar too.

“We have conceded too many goals (16) and we need to find a solution for that. But, it’s not like we’ve conceded too many chances, so that helps, as it would have been worse had we conceded a lot of goal-scoring opportunities as well,” Stahre said.

Chennaiyin FC head coach Owen Coyle expressed his gratitude towards the supporters of Chennaiyin FC who will be travelling for the match against Kerala Blasters FC in Kochi.

“There are a few hundred fans who will be coming for the away game against Kerala Blasters FC. We are thankful for them since they support us everywhere we go. We want to put a smile on their faces and we can do that by winning this difficult game,” Coyle said.

The two teams have played 22 games against each other in the ISL, with Kerala Blasters FC and Chennaiyin FC winning six and seven encounters respectively. Nine matches have resulted in a draw.

–IANS