Big test for Blasters against confident Dynamos

The Blasters will be without midfielder Mehtab Hossain who got a red card in the last game.

GEARING UP: Kerala Blasters' marquee player Carlos Marchena Lopez could make his ISL debut against Delhi Dynamos on Sunday.

Kerala Blasters FC hopes to gain inspiration from the few bright spots in its last game, a 1-2 away loss against Atletico de Kolkata, as it takes on Roberto Carlos’s Delhi Dynamos in its fourth Hero Indian Super League match at the Nehru Stadium here on Sunday.

“We must not start second best against Delhi, we must start the best we can. We got punished in both halves with goals scored by Kolkata but for me and for us, I think we finished both halves very strongly. We eventually got a goal and made Kolkata nervous,” said the Blasters head coach Peter Taylor on Saturday.

“Unfortunately, we were not as sharp as I would have liked. And there were poor defensive goals, so there a few little things that we know we got to do better tomorrow.”

Jhingan back

The return of star defender Sandesh Jhingan, the ISL’s Emerging Player last year, and midfielder Cavin Lobo after India’s World Cup qualifying duty, will surely be a morale-booster to the Kochi-based team which has a reputation of being a strong side at home.

The Blasters will be without midfielder Mehtab Hossain who got a red card in the last game but former Spanish World Cup winner Carlos Marchena, the marquee player and defender, could make his ISL debut on Sunday.

Taylor felt Delhi, which lost to the Blasters and missed a berth in the last four last year, deserved a lot of respect this season.

The tall central defender Arne Riise could be the biggest hurdle for the Kerala stars Chris Dagnall, Sanchez Watt and Josu Currias Prieto. But local star Mohammed Rafi, who is recovering from a groin injury, is not likely to start.

Merry run

Meanwhile, Delhi is on a merry run, having beaten the strong Chennaiyin FC and Pune City in its last two games and the Brazilian great Roberto Carlos said that his boys were aware of what to expect in a packed stadium and that he would also love to play in front of such a huge crowd.

“Tomorrow’s game is going to be very complicated, very tough. But the majority of my players know what to expect when we play here. If we are focused, we can get the better of them.

“As a player, I used to love playing in a packed stadium. I would run on to the pitch like crazy to win the game. So my players too will enjoy in front of 60,000 people. They need to go out there and have fun.”

But will Carlos, also Delhi’s marquee player, play?

“If the situation demands, I’ll play. I’m ready,” he said, continuing the guessing game.