Chennaiyin FC will have a chance to move to the fifth spot when they take on a struggling Jamshedpur FC in the Indian Super League (ISL) at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Chennai on Saturday.
The visitors, meanwhile, will be looking for their first away win of the season. They have had two away games so far and managed to get just a point.In their last game against Mumbai City FC, Chennaiyin FC, who currently lie seventh in the points table, were leading 2-0 at one stage before conceding six goals to lose the tie 6-2.
The defeat extended the Chennaiyin's winless streak at home to three games, making it their second-longest winless run at home in the league. The longest came in the 2018-19 season, when they went seven games without a win.
Vafa Hakhamaneshi's return should bolster Chennaiyin's defence. Fallou Diagne has been solid at the back while Julius Duker has been vital in midfield. Further up the pitch, Abdenasser El Khayati scored in his first start for the club against Mumbai and Petar Sliskovic also got off the mark.
''Last match against Mumbai City was pretty tough to analyse because the first 30 minutes went as we wanted to implement most of the time. But after that, we conceded a quick first goal and lacked organisation in the back. We've analysed it and we know where the issues are," said Thomas Brdaric, Chennaiyin coach.
''We have worked for the match against Jamshedpur and need to create a good atmosphere in the team while implementing the right things at the right moment. Jamshedpur are league winners but the team has changed since then and is struggling. It will be interesting to see how we can capitalise on that,'' added the German.
Jamshedpur FC have concerns of their own after a poor start. The Red Miners have won just one out of five games so far. What is more worrying is the fact that they failed to score In their last two games.
JFC head coach Aidy Boothroyd will expect his strikers, Daniel Chukwu and Harry Sawyer, to use their experience against a defence that conceded six goals last week. Wellington Priori was benched in the last game against Hyderabad FC and could reclaim his place in midfield.
''We just want to get back to playing again. I think when things are going well for you, they go well. I'm pleased with quite a few aspects of the team. We had a couple of results that could have gone either way, but that's football. I think Chennaiyin are a good team with a good coach, and I expect Saturday night to be very difficult," said Boothroyd.
The two sides have met on ten occasions in the ISL. Chennaiyin FC have won four times, while the Red Miners have been victorious on three occasions. Three games have ended in a draw. The last time these two sides met at the Marina Arena, Chennaiyin were victorious by a 4-1 margin.