Goa: Chennaiyin FC take on Odisha FC in match 53 of the Indian Super League at the GMC Stadium in Goa on Sunday(January 10).
Chennaiyin, twice winners of this title, have won just two games out of nine so far, unable to build any sort of momentum till now. In their last game, they were crushed by Hyderabad FC 4-1 exposing their weaknesses at the back.
Moreover the news of Rafael Crivellaro missing the rest of the season due to injury has increased headache for Csaba Laszlo’s side for upcoming fixtures. Still the coach feels that his absence will not affect his side’s spirit for turning their campaign to winning ways. Fatkhullo Fatkhulloev will probably replace the Brazilian playmaker hoping to create something for his side with the likes of Jkub Sylvestr and Isma in the ranks to finish it off.
Odisha, on the other hand, will come into the encounter after a thriller against Kerala Blasters in their last fixture which they won 4-2. Diego Mauricio has been the star of the season for Stuart Baxter’s side however their defence which have been a major concern leaking goals in early parts of the game making it difficult for them to get control of the match. Still the coach feels that his can revive their campaign from the current scenario.
“It’s important to the degree that we needed to get those three points to give the players the belief and the confidence to continue the roll around
The players did a fantastic job in retaining their confidence and their belief despite the results being against us sometimes quite unluckily. But, we do need that to gain a little bit of momentum and now hopefully, we can kick on.” Added Baxter in his Pre-match conference.
While they seem to have found an unlikely creative hub in a certain Jerry Mawihmingthanga, with the youngster now leading the charts for assists.
Chennaiyin FC possible playing XI: Vishal Kaith(GK), Reagan Singh, Eli Sabia, Enes Sipovic, Jerry Lalrinzuala, Deepak Tangri, Anirudh Thapa, Fatkhullo Fatkhulloev, Jakub Sylvestr, Lallianzuala Chhangte, Isma
Odisha FC possible playing XI: Arshdeep Singh(GK), Gaurav Bora, Steven Taylor, Jacob Tratt, Hendry Antonay, Jerry Mawihmingthanga, Cole Alexander, Vinit Rai, Nandhakumar Sekar, Diego Mauricio, Manuel Onwu.
