BENGALURU: Before any Indian Super League (ISL) season kicks off, Bengaluru FC are always a serious contender for the title, and rightly so.
They have been one of the most consistent teams in the league. Besides winning the league in the 2017-18 season, they have reached the final four on all occasions ever since their introduction to the league a season earlier. To be fair, they have not been at their impressive best in the seventh edition, with just one win in four matches.
On the other hand, they have not lost a single game, which is a positive and will be keen to maintain that record when they face Kerala Blasters at Fatorda Stadium on Sunday. A win against the Blasters and they will be one point shy of second placed ATK Mohun Bagan, who are said to have had a successful season so far.
Things are gradually looking better for the Blues, who played some impressive football against Chennaiyin FC (win) and NorthEast United FC (draw). They created plenty of chances against the latter after an improved performance in the attacking third.
One of the main reasons also has been the influence of Spanish midfielder Dimas Delgado, who started the last two games. His creativity and quality passes provides more opportunity for their forwards.
However, there is a need for their attackers to do their job in front of goal. Defender Juanan is their highest goal-scorer with two goals while the likes of Deshorn Brown and Kristian Opseth are yet to open their account this season.
Even Sunil Chhetri has lacked colour. Head coach Carles Cuadrat is relaxed with the situation at hand.
"Week after week, we are getting our best capacity. It takes time. I am very happy with the work of our strikers," said Cuadrat.
"In the last two seasons, we missed foreign strikers for half of the season. In my first season, Miku was missed for nine games and last season, we missed Onwu for nine games. And we have to adjust with the team. We have a plan B. Putting Sunil as a number nine, it is not a position where he can give more performance to the team. We have got three no 9 foreigners this season and I think that they are getting ready game after game. In the last match, you saw that Kristian and Cleiton (Silva) had a very clear chance of scoring a goal."
It will not be an easy game with Kerala Blasters in need of three points to move up the table. They are yet to register a victory this season and goals have been a problem for them this season. They have fired blanks in two of the four matches and have just scored three overall.
It is high time that their striker Gary Hooper, who has scored one via penalty, needs to do more for Kerala in front of goal. They have the ammunition, but it is about gelling as a unit to yield a positive result from this tough fixture.
"Kerala Blasters have two points now, so they need the points. They will be a tough opponent because it is very important for them. And of course, we also have a match plan. We will also be fighting for the three points. I think it is going to be a very interesting game," added Cuadrat.