Bengaluru's FC attacking winger Udanta Singh feels winning this match for the sake of their fans - who are involved in a banter with Kerala Blasters since the beginning of the season - adds extra motivation for them to win the match against coach Rene Meulesteen's side at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Kochi on Sunday.
"Every match is important. The fact that this one means a lot to the fans means that us players have that added impetus to win, and it makes for the game to be an exciting one. As players, we're looking to do our fans proud and that's all there is to it," said the India international player.
At the heart of the matter, both set of fans are involved in a social media banter after couple of former players (Sandesh Jhingan and CK Vineeth) of ISl debutant, who played for the Bengaluru in I-league last season, were retained by Kerala Blasters for the fourth season of ISl.
Udanta feels having away fans-dedicated stands with enough security can keep things under check for such games.
"An away section that's cordoned off and has adequate security is always good in such matches. It allows for the traveling supporters to be loud in their support and helps in the safety of both sets of fans," said the 21-year-old.
Speaking on the on-field challenges for Sunday's match, Udanta said his squad are not threatened by the star-studded Blasters as Bengaluru are focused on their strengths.
"We are not worried about their team or how threatening they are. Kerala Blasters are a good team and we have to be wary about them, but at the same time and more importantly we'll look to concentrate on our strengths," said the Manipur-born footballer.
After a strong start in their debut season, where they quickly climbed to the top of the table, the Blues lost their way and slumped to two consecutive losses against Chennaiyin FC and Jamshedpur FC respectively. They failed to breach the score line in due process too. Udanta feels they paid for not taking their chances.
"It's true that the last two games at home weren't the best. We lost them to late goals and were guilty of not taking our chances. But, that's how it is in football sometimes. We've just got to pick ourselves up and do well in the next game, and playing Kerala in Kerala gives us the best opportunity to do that," he explained.
Setting foot in ISl with a set team, the former I-league champions took the cash-rich league by fire from the word go. Venezuelan striker Nicolás ladislao Fedor Flores, popularly known as Miku, played a key role in that as he notched up six goals in just seven matches. Udanta said it's a pleasure to share attacking duty with the new singing.
"Miku is a lethal finisher. He's always looking to pull a trick out of his bag and playing up front with him is a pleasure. It didn't take more than a few training sessions to be in sync with him and to share the dressing room and pitch with someone who has so much experience playing at the highest level is a privilege," said the former Mumbai City player.
Udanta, who carries the reputation of a quick winger, is often known for using his lethal pace to create havoc defence. The winger said it's indeed his "biggest strength".
"Being fast always helps when you want to beat a defender, especially when you are a winger and got a lot of space to utilise and create for your team. So playing on flank, pace is definitely one of my biggest strengths," he concluded.
