Odisha FC will play hosts to Kerala Blasters FC at the Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneswar in the Indian Super League (ISL) 2024-25 on Thursday, October 3, at 7:30 pm IST.
Both these teams have won once each in their three matches so far. While the Juggernauts bagged their first victory of the season by 2-1 against Jamshedpur FC last Saturday, Kerala Blasters FC drew 1-1 in front of NorthEast United FC in Guwahati, and will hope to return to winning ways in this fixture.
Sergio Lobera’s track record against KBFC:
· Odisha FC tactician Sergio Lobera has won nine out of his 11 fixtures against Kerala Blasters FC, projecting an 82% success rate. This is his highest win percentage against any team he has squared off against at least five times in the ISL.
Will KBFC better their away record?
· In this calendar year, Kerala Blasters FC have won only once in their eight games on the road in the competition. They have conceded goals in all of these matches, and it is surely a factor that head coach Mikael Stahre would want to correct in the coming clash.
“I am happy for the fans”
In addition to the team, the Odisha FC faithful are glad with the team snapping their two-game losing streak too. Lobera extended his gratitude towards them for helping the team brave through difficult moments.
“I am very happy because finally, we got three very important points. And also the atmosphere in the ground, in the stadium is amazing. Every time more supporters come here, they are pushing us in difficult moments. I am happy for these people,” he said.
“We are on the right track”
Kerala Blasters FC head coach Mikael Stahre is confident that his team is on the right track after their opening three games of the season. He says that the team will only go from strength to strength in the next few matches.
“I’m not happy, but I’m not extremely unhappy either. We can do much better. We are still solid and taking points. It’s just the beginning, and I feel we will become better eventually. I think we are on the right track,” Stahre said.
Head-to-Head
Both these teams have played each other 23 times in the ISL, with Kerala Blasters FC having won nine games, and Odisha FC emerging victorious in seven encounters. Seven fixtures have resulted in a draw.
Key Players & Milestones
Odisha FC’s Mourtada Fall has joined Sunil Chhetri and Bartholomew Ogbeche to become the player with the joint-most headed goals (18) in the ISL.
· Kerala Blasters FC’s Noah Sadaoui has scored four goals against Odisha FC, which is his highest tally against any single team in the competition.
· Odisha FC’s duo of Roy Krishna and Diego Mauricio has both scored seven goals against Kerala Blasters FC, which is the joint-highest by any player against the Kochi-based team.
· In the opening three matchdays of the ISL 2024-25, Kerala Blasters FC’s Pritam Kotal tops the charts of the players with the most interceptions in the league (10).
( Source : ISL Media)