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After not having a great start to the year 2021 by losing to SC East Bengal, Odisha FC are all set to take on Kerala Blasters in their ninth game of the ongoing Indian Super League at GMC Stadium in Bambolim on Thursday.
The Stuart Baxter-coached unit is yet to register a win in the league and their next game against the Blasters is going to be an important one.
Although the Kalinga Warriors scored only one goal in the last game against SC East Bengal, they had created many goalscoring opportunities. The wingers had a decent outing but somehow the forward line lacked the finishing touch and Coach Baxter will want to improve on that very aspect when they take on the Kibu Vicuna’s team.
One goal each from Abdul Hakku and Jordan Murray had given the Kerala Blasters their first win of the tournament in their second-last game against Hyderabad FC. However, a loss against Mumbai City FC in their previous one must have pushed them on the back foot again. The Kerala Blasters have Coach Vicuna, who won the I-League title with Mohun Bagan last season, and they know how to get the winning momentum back. They currently have six points from eight games with only one win to their name in the league.
On the other hand, Odisha FC are reeling at the bottom of the points table with only two points. The Bhubaneswar-based side will look forward to improving their defence ahead of the next game to ensure that they don’t give away silly goals which are proving to be crucial. Goalkeeper Arshdeep Singh has been doing well and good support from the defenders like Steven Taylor, Jacob Tratt will be a great help for the custodian as well as the team.
“Unfortunately in this game, there is no secret liquid which you drink and become a different team. You have got to make sure the players are doing the things that will help us to win football games. Set plays are very important. That long throw-in was a set-play. We had many set-plays but couldn’t put it over the line. They utilised their set-plays better than us,” coach Stuart Baxter had said after the defeat against SC East Bengal on Sunday.
“We have to start ticking those boxes again and get in the percentages back on our side and there is no easy way to that. You have to continue to believe and do the right things,” he further went on to add.
The Kalinga Warriors will definitely want to get things to fall in place in the next game to get the much-needed winning momentum. The experienced gaffer has got the belief and so is the whole team. With an eye on all three points on offer, they will step on the pitch to meet Kerala Blasters on Thursday, January 7 at 7.30pm.
