Chennaiyin FC on a mission

Chennaiyin FC’s stay at the top of the Indian Super League standings remained only for a day as Bengaluru displaced it on Friday with a better goal difference. John Gregory’s side would look to go back to the top when it takes on Mumbai City FC in Mumbai on Sunday. After an initial loss, CFC posted three consecutive wins, the last one against bottom-placed ATK by a 3-2 margin coming at home.

Having succumbed to a 2-3 defeat against FC Goa, Chennaiyin showed its potential in the league and the last match was a true index when it scored three goals in the second half. 

CFC manager Gregory has made just one change to his personnel in the last three games after having left out midfielder Raphael Augusto who was not fully fit. Augusto would certainly be in contention for a place in the starting line-up for Sunday’s game after a week’s rest. 

Striker Jeje Lalpehklua would look to carry forward the impetus he gained after finally breaking the blocks against ATK. Jeje did not get the support from his teammates inside the box in the earlier matches, which was the main reason why he did not get onto the score sheet in this edition. 

Skipper Henrique Sereno has made his presence felt in the 18-yard box during set pieces. His header rebounded off the near post and was instrumental in providing a smooth finish for Jeje during the ATK match. 

Despite being a defender, former Brighton and Hove Albion player Inigo Calderon has made substantial contributions upfront, making some inroads into advanced positions of the field. The right back is now the joint top-scorer for the Season 2 champion alongside Augusto and Jeje. 

Chennaiyin’s only cause of concern will be winning the aerial duels with a player of diminutive stature against a towering centre half in Romania’s Lucian Goian. Chennaiyin has dominated Mumbai City since the inception of ISL with four wins from its half a dozen head-to-head clashes. 

Mumbai City FC, which made it to the semi-finals in the previous edition, has had a sloppy start to its season under returning manager Alexandre Guimaraes. It is currently placed at the bottom half of the table with four points from four games. 

Mejrajuddin Wadoo, who was once a Chennaiyin blue, would love to give his former side the jitters when the sides square off at the Mumbai Football Arena. MCFC has managed only four goals with ex-CFC forward Balwant Singh contributing half of them.

The Ranbir Kapoor coowned unit has been on the road thrice in its initial four matches of the season. It would aim at gaining some momentum by getting back to winning ways in its back-toback home games.