ISL: Chennaiyin FC look to bounce back against in-form East Bengal

CHENNAI: Chennaiyin FC will look to put behind their recent setbacks and return to winning ways when they host East Bengal in an Indian Super League match here on Saturday.

With East Bengal placed fifth in the standings, having won three of their six matches so far, the clash promises to be a stern test for the home side.

The Marina Machans, however, will look to draw from their previous performances. CFC registered a commanding 3-0 victory in the league when the two teams last met and take advantage of home conditions as they seek to climb up the table.

"For me, East Bengal are the most balanced team in the division. It's not easy to play against them because they are very strong in the middle and extremely quick on the wings. They also have one of the league's best strikers, if I'm not mistaken.

"It's a team that is very, very well-balanced, capable of playing possession football as well as going direct. I think they are one of the most difficult teams in the league," Chennaiyin head coach Clifford Miranda told media on the eve of the match.

"It's going to be difficult, very difficult. But we will try, we will work, and we will go out there to win. That's what we want to do, especially because this is our home."

Miranda also addressed Chennaiyin's lack of goals so far this season, outlining the tactical evolution underway and the next steps for his side in the attacking phase.

"Right now, we don't have many goals to show for our efforts. But that's also because we haven't had enough forays into the final third, and I understand the reason why. When I came here, the team was playing more direct football, and I needed time to change the way we wanted to play.

"I have a different approach, which is more possession-based, what I call progressive possession-based football. We can go direct if the opponent is pressing us, but if they sit back, we keep the ball. It's about patient, controlled possession," explained the CFC head coach.

"So first, I needed to shift the team towards a more positional, possession-based approach, and that took time. Now that we are getting there, the next step is to work on the other aspect -- helping the players make better decisions when it comes to going forward."

Miranda also said that he expects to have the entire squad at his disposal for the match against East Bengal.