After lifting itself from the relegation zone and ending the winless streak at home, Kerala Blasters will look to continue the newfound resurgence when it meets Odisha FC at the Jawaharlal Nehru stadium in Kochi on Thursday in the Indian Super League 2025-26 season.

The ‘Ashley Westwood Effect’ has transformed Blasters from a struggling outfit to a competitive one in a matter of few weeks. The Yellow Army threw the form book out of the window when it surprised Bengaluru FC and Jamshedpur FC for much needed wins and is enjoying a rare unbeaten streak of three matches.

However, Blasters is still a work in progress and untimely injuries to key midfielders Danish Farooq and Karim Benarif will put the team under pressure against Odisha.

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Both Danish and Karim have played a stellar role in the Blasters late resurgence. Assistant coach Peter Hartley said the medical team was working on both the players and he wasn’t overly worried about their availability.

“We have a system in place and personnel who come in and go out. Everybody in the squad knows their role and what our goal is,’’ he said.

Hartley said he expected a tough match from Odisha FC which is currently placed 13th in the table with six points from seven matches. “Odisha is a good team and they are not a one dimensional side. They play football in the right way. We have our plans in place. Our fundamentals and principles change depending on the team we play,’’ he said.

Odisha, under former Kerala Blasters assistant coach T.G. Purushothaman, has been resilient though it hasn’t travelled well on the road. The Juggernauts will look to flip that script against Blasters.

Published on Apr 22, 2026