ISL 2023/24: Confident Punjab FC to take on Kerala Blasters

KOCHI: A confident Punjab FC (PFC) riding on their excellent win in the previous round will now face Kerala Blasters in Round 14 of the Indian Super League 2023-24 season which will be played here at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium.

The match is scheduled to kick off at 7:30 PM. The Shers had lost their home match to the same opponent by a solitary goal in December and will look to put in an excellent performance in front of the vociferous Manjapada.

Punjab FC had a commanding 3-1 victory over Bengaluru FC at home in their previous match while Kerala Blasters lost to Odisha FC 2-1 at the Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneshwar.

Speaking ahead of the game, PFC Head Coach Staikos Vergetis said, "The win in the previous game was important for the physiological aspect of the players and this will help them in performing confidently in the coming matches. The formation is working for us and we will continue to play in the same way. The team is gaining more experience and confidence as the season is progressing. Kerala Blasters are a top side and they are performing very well in spite of missing some of their key players due to injuries. We are expecting a tough game and expect to come out with a positive result".

As the matches are coming in thick and fast, only five points separate the final playoff position with the other teams down the table and every match will be important for the teams to secure a playoff berth.

PFC Captain Luka Majcen during the pre-match press conference said, "We played well as a team in the previous match and the teamwork helped us to score more goals. We will continue playing in the same manner tomorrow and hope to have the same result. The last match against Kerala was very tough and it will be a tough game tomorrow also and they can expect a tough fight from us in their home ground".

Punjab FC are 11th on the table with 11 points from 13 matches while Kerala Blasters are third on the table with 26 points from 13 matches.