Chennaiyin hope to get back to winning ways

Delhi Dynamos are at the top of the table with 17 points and FC Goa are at the bottom with 10 points, but with four matches still left to be played, no team is guaranteed of a place in the play-off and no team can be ruled out at this stage.

It was a point that both the coaches emphasised a lot ahead of the crucial encounter. “We have good chances to make it to the qualifiers. Goa (placed at the bottom) is also hoping, (and) if they do, we can also hope to make it,” said Chennaiyin FC coach Marco Materazzi.

The defending champions have been below par this season. Their winless run of five matches is the longest in their history and they have conceded 14 goals this season, the highest alongside FC Goa. Chennaiyin FC have also conceded seven goals in their last two matches, equalling their tally of goals conceded from their first seven matches in the league.

 Materazzi, however, refused to press the panic button and instead explained how his team could have been approaching this game differently had Nigerian striker Dudu Omagbemi scored against Kerala Blasters in the previous game when his team enjoyed a 1-0 advantage in the first session. “We will keep fighting. It’s easy to cheer when the team is winning. We need fans to cheer us in our bad moments,” Materazzi added.

FC Pune City, on the other hand, are back in the race for a top four finish after winning two consecutive matches against Atletico de Kolkata (2-1) and Mumbai City FC (1-0). The team coached by Antonio Habas are now placed fifth but can move up to the second spot behind league leaders Delhi Dynamos if they manage to defeat Chennaiyin FC at home.

“Everyone has expectations to win a place in the play-off. At the moment, all teams are hoping to qualify and we could have tough matches. We expect Chennaiyin FC to play strong. This is the most important stage of the league. We are expecting to face a strong Chennai,” said Habas.