Confident Blasters face misfiring Jamshedpur

Guard against complacency: Kerala Blasters head coach Vukomanovic wants his players to be at the top of their game against a dangerous Jamshedpur.
| Photo Credit: File Photo: THULASI KAKKAT

KOCHI: The Kerala Blasters have won six of their last seven games but their head coach Ivan Vukomanovic is making sure his team is not taking thing easy when they play the struggling Jamshedpur FC at the Nehru Stadium here on Tuesday.
“Jamshedpur has changed the way it approaches games and there are a couple of changes within the squad that has brought in more quality. There were many times when it was really close yet it couldn’t find its grip and get the points,” said Vukomanovic on Monday.
“So it’s a very dangerous team, a physically tough team and you must be 100% ready for every duel, every corner, every aspect of the game.”
It’s clear that the Blasters are bubbling with confidence.
“When you start increasing your physical and mental level and when the playing patterns that you employ bring results, then you also get the self confidence that you can overcome any opposition, that you can play hard, be consistent. So that’s our objective for the next period as well,” said the Serb.
The Blasters, who will be without Ivan Kaliuzhnyi (suspension) and Puitea (after allowing the midfielder to join ATK Mohun Bagan in the January transfer window), are fourth in the ISL table with 22 points and seven wins while Jamshedpur is 10th with just five points and one win which came more than two months ago.
Jamshedpur lost its previous encounter against Blasters this season by a lone goal in early December.