Football

ISL 2023-24: Odisha FC are one of the best teams in the ISL – Ivan Vukomanovic

Kerala Blasters FC head coach Ivan Vukomanovic admitted that Odisha FC are one of the best teams in the Indian Super League before their playoff clash against the Kalinga Warriors at the Kalinga Stadium, Bhubaneshwar on Friday.

Both teams will battle it out for a place in the semifinals with Mumbai City FC and League Shield champions Mohun Bagan Super Giant already into the last four.

When these two teams met earlier in the season in the league stage, they won one match each by 2-1. While Odisha FC finished at fourth place in the ISL standings, the Kerala Blasters took the fifth position in the points table.

The Serbian manager revealed that Adrian Luna has recovered from injury and he is expected to play the must-win game.

“He has (Luna) arrived so we can expect to see him tomorrow (on Friday) playing,” stated Vukomanovic in the pre-match press conference.

He continued, “We have to take in some considerations, when you are coming back after four and a half, five months and especially seeing the circumstances, the weather conditions and everything where you need three water breaks in one half, you know, in these (humid) conditions. So it’s obvious that he cannot play 90 minutes. But we will see how many minutes he will be available to play depending on circumstances, whatever it is. But probably we’ll see him tomorrow on the pitch after so long, with pleasure.”

Vukomanovic revealed they were forced to make a lot of changes to their squad composition throughout the season because of injury woes.

“During the season, we changed the whole team, which was caused by issues, by surgeries and actually, many things that we couldn’t control. So you have to deal with that now in the playoffs after the season, it’s completely different. Everything is different. The mindset and everything,” he shared.

He added, “Whoever goes on the pitch, give everything you have, give 100%. Fight for every ball, fight for every duel. At the end, it’s like being without regret that at the end, you say ‘I gave everything’.”

Assessing their upcoming opponents, Vukomanovic said: “(They are) one of the best teams in the league. I think that it was the team who was the most consistent throughout the whole season, without, let’s say, dangerous injuries. They were one of the teams who were consistent with the full squad of foreigners throughout the whole year.”

About the Author


Written by DafaNews

DafaNews brings you the most highlighted news in the world of Sports. It serves you up-to-date matches, scores, live streams, fantasy games and quizzes. Our news covers India's prestigious leagues and events – Premier League, Pro Kabbadi League, Cricket World Cup and many more. Follow DafaNews on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter,Telegram and Youtube for more updates.

Related Post
Share
Published by
DafaNews

Recent Posts

“Never expected a very easy run” – Gautam Gambhir reflects on his tenure as coach after IND vs NZ 2024 Test series defeat

India’s head coach Gautam Gambhir has admitted that he never expected a very easy run… Read More

October 31, 2024

Probably has a lot to do with playing on flat wickets in T20 – Gautam Gambhir on decline of good defensive technique in Test cricket

India’s head coach Gautam Gambhir feels T20 cricket has led to the downfall of a… Read More

October 31, 2024

India needs Mumbai Test win before Australia tour – Gautam Gambhir

Indian head coach Gautam Gambhir feels the Rohit Sharma-led team desperately needs to win the… Read More

October 31, 2024

I cannot say just the batters have let us down – Gautam Gambhir feels everyone should take responsibility for series loss against New Zealand

India’s head coach Gautam Gambhir refused to blame the batters after the team’s 2-0 series… Read More

October 31, 2024

It was insane – Bronny James after scoring his first NBA bucket

Los Angeles Lakers rookie Bronny James was on cloud nine after he managed to score… Read More

October 31, 2024

I’m happy with my team’s performance: Mohun Bagan SG head coach Jose Molina after win against Hyderabad FC

Mohun Bagan Super Giant head coach Jose Molina was delighted with the team’s performance after… Read More

October 31, 2024