The Kerala Blasters have finally found some consistent form in the Indian Super League, thanks largely to home comforts, and Sachin Tendulkar's side will look to those home supporters to give them a lift again when they take on Sourav Ganguly's Atletico de Kolkata, desperate to regain the top spot in the table.
Kerala Blasters vs Atletico de Kolkata will be a match between the third-placed team and a side in second, but four points separate the two sides at the moment, with Atletico looking to go three points clear at the top of the table from Chennaiyin FC with a victory.
"Kolkata is a very talented team, probably one of the best teams in the league so far," said Kerala Blasters player-manager David James on Thursday.
"Interestingly they have fielded same squad for most of their matches, which show that they have a very fit side as well. Their away form is also good. So it won't be an easy match, but our intention is to try and win tomorrow's game."
The Blasters' good recent form has primarily been thanks to their excellent defence, which has not conceded a single goal in the last four matches, and only one in their last five. While the defence has been outstanding, the problem has been scoring goals, with only two balls flying into the back of the net in the current four-match unbeaten run.
Two of those four unbeaten matches have been 1-0 wins, while the other two have ended in goalless draws. If the Blasters are to harbour serious hopes of not just finishing in the top four and sealing a spot in the semifinals, but also winning the title, they need to start firing on the attacking front.
"It is not necessary that central forwards have to score to win the match as was proven against Delhi," added James. "The beauty of the side at the moment is that the goals, even though there have been few, have been coming from different positions and not just the forwards.
"We have been working on a few things to get strikers to score more goals as well. We will keep working on this."
At the other end, there is Atletico de Kolkata, who finally ended a four-match winless run with a narrow 1-0 victory over NortheEast United on Tuesday.
Goals have not flowed as easily as they did in the early part of the season for Kolkata of late, and the game on Friday does look like being one where the defences might end up being on top, with the reverse fixture at the Salt Lake Stadium earlier this season ending 1-1.
"We are playing at a good stadium, against a good team," said Atletico de Kolkata manager Antonio Lopez Habas. "We have had a very good season and we are expecting a tough match.
"We were on top of the table until a few days ago. But we are playing against opponents who are also good. They are also preparing for each opponent and it is not possible to win all games at this level.
"We are playing against another good team, but we are here to win and get the whole three points."
Where to Watch Live
The ISL match is scheduled for a 7 pm IST (1.30 pm GMT, 8.30 am ET) start with live TV coverage in India provided by a lot of channels, including Star Sports 2, Star Sports HD2,Star Sports 3, Star Gold, Asianet Movies, Suvarna Channel and Jalsha Movies. Viewers can also watch the ISL match via free live streaming online on Starsports.com.
US viewers can live stream the action on FoxSoccer2go, while Europe viewers can catch the action live on Eurosport or their online Player. Middle East and North Africa viewers can watch the game on Bein Sports or via live streaming on Bein Sports Connect.
South Africa and Sub Saharan Africa audience can catch the ISL match live on SuperSport or their online option. Australia viewers can catch the match live on Fox Sports or via their live video option online.
