Chennai, Dec 27 : Former champions Chennaiyin FC will aim to rebound to winning form and finish the year on a positive note when they face Bengaluru FC in a crucial Indian Super League (ISL) 2024-25 clash at the Jawaharlal Nehru here on Saturday.
Chennaiyin and Bengaluru have played each other 15 times in the ISL, with the former winning four matches. This corresponding fixture last year produced a 2-0 win for the Marina Machans and head coach Owen Coyle will be aiming for the same this time. However, the tactician will be without captain Ryan Edwards - who is suspended for the match – and is expected to field an all-Indian backline.
“On another day, we would have won the game in Mumbai, following our victory over Hyderabad. We’re back at home, we want to go out and win again and finish the year with three points that will push us back toward the top six places where we want to be at the end of the season. The only way we do that is for these lads to step up and show their quality. We have confidence and belief in those who will take the field,” Coyle told the media in Chennai during the pre-match press conference.
Bengaluru come into the match as the second-placed side in the league, and Coyle is wary of the threat they carry, especially with the team missing key personnel.
“Bengaluru have been very good all season; at the outset of the season, they had clean sheet upon clean sheet. They have since conceded a few goals but equally so they have been scoring goals because they have very good offensive players. For us, we are at home, we want to be really positive and try and test that Bengaluru defence as best we can. To do that, we need to take care of the ball and make sure we’re utilising it well,” Coyle analysed.
“We’re under no illusions about the difficulty of the game, but it is one we are looking forward to. We won our last home game against Hyderabad, gave a good performance against Mumbai, and we want to continue that run and go and get those points.”
On the availability front, Coyle confirmed that he will take a late call on Wilmar Jordan Gil and Ankit Mukherjee, both of whom are back in training after receiving knocks. The head coach also revealed that Elsinho, who left the pitch under medical care in the previous home match, is recovering in his native Brazil and will be rejoining the squad in the new year.
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