Kerala Blasters FC vs Jamshedpur FC Prediction: Kerala will be looking to build up upon the win over their arch-rivals Bengaluru FC

Kerala Blasters FC will welcome Jamshedpur FC in Gameweek 2 of the Indian Super League at Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, Kochi. Kerala will be looking to build up upon the win over their arch-rivals Bengaluru FC. Who will win? 

After a contentious exit from the ISL playoffs last season, the Blasters faced another disappointment as they couldn't progress to the knockout stage of the 2023 Durand Cup. To prepare for the upcoming season, Vukomanović's squad undertook the Hala Blasters Tour in the UAE, but it began on a sour note with a 0-6 defeat to Al Wasl.

Before their tour, they suffered a 3-2 loss to newly-promoted Punjab in a friendly match. Following the heavy defeat on tour, the Manjappada Army bounced back with a 2-1 victory over Sharjah and a 2-0 win against Al Jazirah Al Hamra.

Bidyashagar Singh emerged as their top scorer during the preseason, netting seven goals, while Sachin Suresh logged the most minutes on the pitch. Daisuke Sakai displayed his talent in the league opener, offering fans a promising glimpse of the Japanese international's abilities, and they will be eager to see more from him in the upcoming matches.

Sachin Suresh; Prabir Das, Pritam Kotal, Miloš Drinčić, Aibanbha Dohling; Daisuke Sakai, Jeakson Singh, Danish Farooq, Mohammed Aimen; Kwame Peprah, Adrian Luna. 

After a disappointing season that saw them finish second from the bottom, the Men of Steel made changes by parting ways with Aidy Boothroyd and bringing in Cooper as the new head coach. They also made several key signings, including Petar Sliskovic, Semboi Haokip, Emil Benny, and Alen Stevanovic, among others, to kick-start their rebuilding process.

The 2021-22 League Shield champions opted to field a reserve team during the Durand Cup, which resulted in their failure to advance to the knockout stage. They managed only one victory, which was against the Indian Navy, but suffered heavy defeats at the hands of Mumbai City and Mohammedan.

The Red Miners embarked on their pre-season with a 2-0 victory over Gokulam Kerala, followed by a 2-1 loss to Sreenidi Deccan. They also faced a 3-2 defeat against Bengaluru before engaging in two consecutive friendly matches with NorthEast United, which ended in a 1-0 win and a 2-2 draw, respectively. Additionally, they recorded a dominant 10-0 victory against Sikkim Akraman. While the recent 0-0 draw against the Red and Golds was a solid start to the season, Cooper and his team will be eager to secure their first away win.

Rehenesh TP; Pratik Chaudhari, Elsinho, PC Laldinpuia; Nikhil Barla, Jérémy Manzorro, Pronay Halder, Imran Khan Mohammed Sanan; Alen Stevanović, Daniel Chima Chukwu. 

Kerala Blasters FC are expected to begin as the favorites, and the addition of Diamantakos to their squad should provide them with a significant boost. With the passionate backing of the Manjappada supporters, it will be a formidable task for Jamshedpur FC to thwart the Blasters throughout the match.

Nonetheless, the home team has displayed some weaknesses in defending against counter-attacks, and Jamshedpur FC boasts the attacking quality to potentially trouble the Blasters' defense. Take double chance on the away side with over 2.5 goals in the game.