Chennaiyin FC and Hyderabad will hope to edge onto the top half of the Indian Super League (ISL) table, when they lock horns at the GMC Stadium, Bambolim on Monday.
Both teams would be hoping to bring an end to a common problem plaguing both sides - finishing up top. Surprisingly, Chennaiyin has been one of the most entertaining sides this season, creating plenty of chances while threatening the opposition goal. Csaba Laszlo's men have created 93 chances - joint-most by a team in ISL 7. They have also registered an average of 14.6 shots per game - the most any team has managed so far.
However, their wastefulness in front of goal has let them down time and again. In their eight games so far, they have blanked four times and have the second-worst goal conversion rate, highlighting their goal-scoring struggles. Striker Jakub Sylvestr and Lallianzuala Chhangte, two players, in particular, have been guilty of wasting chances. However, despite their struggles, Laszlo believes it's just a matter of time before their forward line begins firing as his team still needs time to gel together.
"Football is a psychological game. The physical and mental aspects are both important in football. Last season we had someone (Nerijus Valskis) who scored many goals. He is out. At this moment, you put the pressure automatically without knowing the other players, who are trying to. It is not that you can't stabilise this, I just to explain how many components there are after you change many players in the starting eleven. It's a process. some new players come in who have not played in the ISL so the pressure is also there (on them)," said Laszlo in an official ISL release.
Just like Chennaiyin, Hyderabad has also scored 7 goals - with only Odisha FC and SC East Bengal scoring less. Defensively, individual errors have also cost them with the Nizams failing to register a clean sheet in their last six games.
"They (Chennaiyin) are a very dangerous team with a lot of good players," said Marquez.
"They have offensive players, They are dangerous in set-pieces because they have very good players, not only tall players like (Enes) Sipovic and Eli Sabia but more players in the box like Sylvestr, (Rahim) Ali, (Deepak) Tangri. rudh Thapa is another good player." He added: "I think Chennaiyin and Hyderabad deserve more points than we have on the table," he added.
( With inputs from ANI )
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