Crunch time: Chennaiyin is coming off two losses and desperately needs a win.
| Photo Credit: FILE PHOTO: R. RAGU
Former champion Chennaiyin FC will aim to return to winning ways when it takes on East Bengal FC in an ISL match at the Jawaharlal Nehru stadium here on Saturday.
Having lost its previous two fixtures, the Owen Coyle-coached team will be looking for home comfort and a revival of the stuttering campaign.
Placed ninth in the standings with 12 points from 10 matches, CFC needs its forward line to power it to victories.
EBFC, languishing at the bottom of the table with four points from eight outings, recently ended a seven-game winless run in the league with a 1-0 victory over NorthEast United FC and will look to maintain the momentum.
CFC head coach Coyle said he was confident that the team is positioned perfectly to do well in the campaign moving forward, despite its recent setbacks.
“We’re still well-placed, and that’s why I’m excited moving forward because with the home games coming, we can pick up points and look to move ourselves back into those playoff places. And that’s what we’ll look to do,” Coyle said.
The host may be without the services of Irfan Yadwad (unwell) while Connor Shields, Lukas Brambilla and Kiyan Nassiri have niggles but trained on Friday and should be ready to take the field.
Dimitrios Diamantakos, who found the net for the Kolkata outfit in its previous match, is a key player and the Chennaiyin defence would need to be at its best to keep the opposition forwards at bay.
Match starts at 5 p.m.
Published – December 06, 2024 06:43 pm IST
Content Source: www.thehindu.com