Every game we have played has been cagey. Tomorrow is a big game and we do expect it to be cagey. We will go out with full confidence but yeah, a few nerves would be there. We expect to get something out of it and if the players play without any fear we could get a result,”
Terry Phelan
Kerala Blasters FC coach
AGENCIES
KOCHI
Kerala Blasters FC head coach Terry Phelan is confident of making it to the semis ahead of their Indian Super League Season 2 match against Chennaiyin FC at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Chennai on Saturday.
Kerala breathed plenty of life into their campaign with a 4-1 win against NorthEast United FC in their last match and if they win on Saturday they will be well and truly back in the reckoning. Phelan, however, expects a tough game against a team that held them to a 1-1 draw in Kochi earlier in the season.
“Every game we have played has been cagey. Tomorrow is a big game and we do expect it to be cagey. We will go out with full confidence but yeah, a few nerves would be there. We expect to get something out of it and if the players play without any fear we could get a result,” Phelan told reporters on Friday.
“There’s plenty of confidence in the team. We’re just coming off a great result against NorthEast and that gives us confidence. It’s very tight at the moment and it’s a must-win for both of us. But they’re the home team. They will come at us and I’m sure that with the players we’ve got, we can get a result. It’s going to be a wee bit nerve-wracking at the start but it’s up to the players to enjoy it.”
It’s been raining a lot of late in Chennai and when asked if the condition of the outfield was a matter of concern for the Blasters, the former Irish defender said: “I don’t concern myself a lot about the pitch…In our days the pitches used to be far worse. In the end, it’s eleven against eleven and it’s going to be the same for them as well. We just need to get on with it. Yeah, hopefully it dries up a little and we get a good game.”
