Mohun Bagan Super Giant will be gearing up for a crucial encounter at home as they take on in-form Kerala Blasters in an ISL-X match at the Salt Lake Stadium here on Wednesday.

Bagan find themselves in a tough position after nine games, having suffered consecutive defeats against their nearest competitors in the last couple of matches.

It began with a 1-2 away defeat to Mumbai City FC, and then FC Goa thrashed them 4-1 here.

At stake for the Mariners is the chance to break the unwanted losing streak and get on top of the team that is placed just above them in the points table now.

Juan Ferrando will need to go back to the drawing board to do a lot of planning as a spate of injuries and the absence of key players give him a truncated squad to work with.

The club made a remarkable investment to strengthen the squad with the acquisition of multiple top-tier international and domestic players to further their ambitions at both the country as well as the continental level.

The latter came crashing down with their group-stage exit from the AFC Cup, but Ferrando has to salvage pride by competing for the top honours in all competitions at home.

“We continue with the same situation. Ashish Rai and Hector Yuste can play now. The team is the most important thing for me. We are ready for the next match. We are thinking of the best line-up, who is fit, and about getting the three points,” Ferrando said.

On the other hand are Kerala Blasters, who are eager to bring an end to their wait for silverware this season.

The Ivan Vukomanovic-coached side has brushed aside concerns over the injury of skipper Adrian Luna with other players assuming responsibility.

They swept aside Mumbai City 2-0 at home in the previous match, but what remains to be seen is whether they can keep up that form in away matches too.