Chennai, Nov 28 On the road for the seventh time this season, Chennaiyin FC will be looking to return to winning ways when they take on Mohun Bagan Super Giant in the Indian Super League (ISL) 2024-25 at the Salt Lake Stadium here on Saturday.
Chennaiyin have faced Mohun Bagan Super Giant eight times in the ISL, winning twice. They have lost three matches while two have ended in draws.
The Marina Machans won the corresponding fixture last season 3-2, with a 97th-minute winner from Irfan Yadwad. Five points separate the two sides currently, but Owen Coyle’s men can close that gap with the right result.
“I think it’s a brilliant game for us to get back to our best. I think we let ourselves down a little bit last time in terms of the result. We had big chances to get in front against Kerala; we had a great chance to equalise. But, we gave away really soft goals from our point of view. Certainly in that aspect, we need to be better against Mohun Bagan because they’ll test us,” Coyle told the media during the pre-match press conference in Chennai on Thursday.
“There were over 200 fans in Kerala the other night and I really felt for them, because we are better than what we showed overall. But, that’s why we have to go to Mohun Bagan and show what we are made of, both in terms of mentality, but equally, if we have aspirations to reach the playoffs, these are the arenas you want to play in and you want to win. It’s a great test and we are looking forward to it,” he added.
Chennaiyin have been at the forefront of chance creation this season in the ISL, with playmaker Connor Shields – who was absent with illness against Kerala – leading the charts with 34 chances created in eight games.
“We have been creating a lot of chances in the league. We are doing good individually, but as a team, we need to do more when it comes to taking our chances and scoring goals,” forward Irfan was quoted as saying in a release by the club on Thursday.
Lastly, Coyle confirmed that Shields was able to train with the team on Thursday and may be in contention for the game on Sunday. Additionally, he will be able to call upon PC Laldinpuia against Mohun Bagan following his one-game suspension. The head coach also mentioned that fullback Ankit Mukherjee is inching towards a full recovery and could return to action in the coming weeks.
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