ISL 2016: Indian Super League is a demanding competition, says Kerala Blasters manager Steve Coppell
On the back of their first victory this season against Mumbai City, Kerala will look to continue their winning run as Steve Coppell's side will look to inflict more damage to the home side. FC Pune City lost their previous game against North East and will be looking to win their first game on home soil as both the previous home encounters ended with a 1-0 loss for the Stallions.
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In his pre-match press conference, Steve Coppell talked about a variety of issues as he reflected on the fatigue issues and also on the ISL as a whole. He said, "The players are used to the busy schedule as we get more days to recover than the leagues in Europe in which the players play on Wednesday and then again on Saturday or Sunday."
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On his experience so far of ISL, he continued, "It is a demanding league with a lot of teams being kind of similar on ability as like any other league in the world. Few moments of brilliance decide the outcome of a game which has been seen so far and also few mistakes which are part and parcel of the game. I can say that this season will be a close affair at the top."
Coppell was also pleased with his team's strong character as he revealed that the team is now believing in itself after a deserving win against Mumbai. He also gave a strong message to the other teams that Kerala can go on to do bigger things this season and reiterated that his squad is capable of playing better.
Kerala Blasters' marquee player and captain, Aaron Hughes was also hopeful of his team's chances against the hosts as he said, "Tomorrow is a tough away game for us and as always we will have to work hard to churn out a positive result for us. We must continue the good work that was evident in the last game."
Coppell also had some kind words for his star striker Michael Chopra as he said, "He is playing with a real purpose this season and has incredibly hard. He is a special player who can win matches for us on a regular basis."
Kerala Blasters have always had the edge over FC Pune City as the Blasters have won 3 out of 4 times against the Orange Army and also have their full squad fit for tomorrow's game.
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