Kozhikode is our second home, feels Kerala Blasters' coach Ishfaq Ahmed

On Saturday, Kerala Blasters will face RoundGlass Punjab in the first match of their Hero Super Cup 2023 campaign. Ivan Vukomanovic's 10-game suspension prevents him from managing. in his place, assistants Ishfaq Ahmed and Frank Dauwen will take the reins. Ishfaq addressed the media ahead of the game.

The Blasters are usually seen plying their trade at the Jawaharlal Nehru International Stadium in Kochi, but playing away, all the way out at the EMS stadium in Kozhikode isn't a problem for Ishfaq Ahmed.

"I don't find it challenging playing in Kozhikode, what I saw on TV yesterday it's really nice. I personally feel it's our second home. In fact, it is home only, it just city change so I don't think it's going to be difficult. After the ISL break, it might be difficult to start, as in this kind of tournament you need to play in your best form. I hope Manjappada will come in numbers to cheer for us. I am sure they will."

Club captains Adrian Luna and Jessel Carneiro won't be in Kozhikode to guide the team but Ahmed reckons they have players who can step in. "The management and coaching staff will make a decision later, but we have many dependable senior players like Marko Leskovic, Victor Mongil, and Sahal Samad who have been with the club for a long period. Yet this is unimportant; what matters is getting ready for the game," the coach said.

The Yellow Army have been drawn against some top sides in the Group A, which includes Bengaluru FC, Sreenidi Deccan, and the I-League 2022-23 winners in Punjab. Ishfaq feels that the group is really good.

"It's good to compete against top teams. I have always thought that you should put your best foot forward, and they are all strong teams. We must play our best football, as I stated at the beginning of the press conference, if we want to emerge as the group winners. As you correctly stated that they are good teams, any team can win."

"We have everyone available except Adrian Luna who left for personal reasons. Jessel and Khabra are out due to injuries. We have some youngsters, and the whole team that played in ISL is here with us," Ahmed concluded with the team news.

Staikos Vergetis, Head Coach, RoundGlass Punjab FC said, “We will approach the Super Cup with discipline and focus and we have a chance to measure ourselves on where we stand against the teams from ISL. We are facing strong teams and these matches will help us to understand how near or far we are from this level."