(Football news) A hopeful Odisha FC will have their task cut out against in-form Kerala Blasters when the two sides meet in the Hero Indian Super League at the Tilak Maidan Stadium on Wednesday.

Odisha beat Mumbai City FC in their last outing to get back to winning ways after a streak of disappointing performances. The Kiko Ramirez-coached side fast in attack and also held firm through defense in a high-scoring encounter. They are eighth in the points table having 13 points from nine games.

In Kerala, Odisha will have an opponent who are looking unbeatable and made it to the top of the table for the first time in seven years. Kerala beat Hyderabad FC in their last game to extend their winning streak to nine games, finishing the first half of the season in the best way possible.

Kerala Blasters' Head Coach Ivan Vukomanovic feels his side has the quality to usurp any challenge put in front. "From the beginning, we've believed that we've got the quality to beat anybody. And we've seen so far the favorites cannot win the so-called easy games. We have a good team and we believe that we can build good momentum," said the Serbian tactician.

Alvaro Vazquez has been vital for Kerala, netting his fourth goal of the campaign in the last game. Adrian Lunahas also joined the goal scoring tactics and Vukomanovic would hope the duo keep going.

Captain Jessel Carneiro will spend more time on the sidelines due to an injury. Harmanjot Singh Khabra's participation in the match has not been confirmed. Full back Nishu Kumar is likely to play from the start.

For Odisha, skipper Jerry Mawihmingthanga has little to worry about offense. He scored two goals and provided one assist in Odisha’s 4-2 win over Mumbai City and has looked extremely impressive. However they have conceded 22 goals in their 9 games and have the joint-worst defensive record in the league along with NorthEast United.

Head Coach Kiko Ramirez is cognizant of the threat Kerala Blasters pose. "They have things going their way now and we realise they are experiencing a good run of form. Our boys are working hard to put up a challenge but we need to understand the three foreign attackers (Alvaro Vazquez, Adrian Luna, and Jorge Pereyra Diaz) they have are in a rich vein of form," said Ramirez.

The match could be a high-scoring one as both Kerala and Odisha like to score goals. In the first leg, Kerala edged past Odisha 2-1 and all three goals came from open play as Odisha will hopefully strengthen their defense.

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