Manjeri (Kerala) [India], April 14 : Chennaiyin FC head coach Thomas Brdaric said he is confident of another good show when his side will lock horns with Churchill Brothers in their second Group D match of the Hero Super Cup 2023 at the Payyanad Stadium in Manjeri, Kerala on Saturday.
The Marina Machans made a strong start to their campaign with a 4-2 win against NorthEast United FC earlier this week.
Striker Rahim Ali and defender Aakash Sangwan were the standout performers for them as they registered two goals and two assists respectively. Goalkeeper Samik Mitra also rose to the occasion and, despite conceding two goals, he exhibited some skilful glovework.
"Lot of positives to take from the last game. We started pretty good. Three points and also scored four goals. Most important is the victory because to progress in this tournament, you need points and have to score.
"It was the first match and nobody knew where we stood but now, we are more experienced and I'm convinced that we can carry on with the same efforts like the first match," Brdaric commented on Friday.
A win against Churchill Brothers in a similar fashion as their last game will help Chennaiyin consolidate their top position in the group, also uplifting their chances of progressing into the semis.
The I-League side from Goa is coming into the match following a 1-2 loss against Mumbai City FC. The 48-year-old tactician from Germany, however, doesn't want his men to take anything lightly and asked them to keep their focus intact and play to their strengths.
"They [Churchill Brothers] have some good players. They have some abilities that we need to understand closely and not let them execute [their plans] by doing good work in defence. We have to be strict on that," Brdaric further said.
"It's also important to play to our strengths. We have to understand that we need to defend better. We have to play our game. We want to win and make a difference, that's our focus," he concluded.
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