ISL: Chennaiyin up against NorthEast

While Chennaiyin is fresh from a hard-fought 1-0 victory over Hyderabad, NorthEast comes into the contest on the back of a goalless draw against Kerala Blasters FC.

Khalid Jamil-coached NEUFC has only a solitary point to show from its opening two matches, but CFC manager Bozidar Bandovic doesn’t expect Monday’s game to be a smooth sail for his team.

“There is no easy game. It doesn’t matter if a team has won all its matches till now or if it has only a point from its games. It (NorthEast) did well last season. We need to be prepared mentally, and stay concentrated and disciplined in every game,” Bandovic said at a virtual press conference on the eve of the clash.

“Teams have conceded goals in the first 20 minutes of many [ISL] games. So, we need to stay concentrated for the entire duration of the match. We prepare for every game like it is the final of the Finals (play-offs),” added Montenegrin tactician Bandovic, who began his ISL stint on a winning note last week.

Meanwhile, two-time ISL champion Chennaiyin on Monday confirmed that Brazilian midfielder Rafael Crivellaro would be sidelined for a period of four weeks owing to a muscle injury. However, Bandovic asserted that his coaching philosophy doesn’t depend on an individual.

“Rafa (Crivellaro) is an important and good player. Now that Rafa is injured, we need to look at players who are ready to play [for the team]. All players except Rafa are fine. [Regarding Rafa], we need to help him recover as fast as possible. We need to keep working without him (Rafa) for now,” explained Bandovic.

CFC midfielder Vladimir Koman, who netted the winning goal against Hyderabad, is keen to continue his good form. “I was happy that we won the game against [HFC] with a penalty goal. But, they (individual stats) don’t matter much to me. My first target is to help the team get a [positive] result,” said former Hungary international Koman.