Winless in the last two games, Chennaiyin FC will have their task cut out when they take on ISL table toppers Mumbai City FC at GMC Stadium in Bambolim on Wednesday. Their opponents will come into the contest on the back of three successive wins.
Currently eighth in the table, two-time champions Chennaiyin made a good start by beating Jamshedpur FC 2-1. But since then, their attackers have failed to put on their scoring boots. Jakub Sylvestr missed a penalty against Kerala Blasters in a 0-0 draw, followed by a disappointing 0-1 loss against Bengaluru FC.
"We will try to breach a strong Mumbai defence. We are capable of scoring. Mumbai are a strong team. But we are not weak. We have shown we can play football. Last game we lost but this is a new game and I'm confident we can score," CFC coach Csaba Laszlo observed.
There are doubts over young midfielder Anirudh Thapa, who scored their opening goal this campaign and also the fourth fastest in ISL history. A mis-timed tackle during the BFC game saw him get substituted early on and it looks unlikely he will play on Wednesday.
"I am in close contact with our medical team. Thapa is making good progress. We will decide tomorrow (about his availability), but it looks positive. We hope to see him return to the fold soon," said Laszlo.
Mumbai, on the other hand, have been impressive so far with only a solitary loss in four games. They have not conceded since that opening setback and the only goal they let in came from a penalty. Even the attacking players have started to find form with the team scoring five times in their last two games.
"The key in football is balance. We are an attacking team but we are defending as well. The best way to defend is to have the ball. When you have the ball, you can score and are unlikely to concede. When you have time with the ball, the transition from defence to attack (for the opposition) becomes difficult. We are working well in training," coach Sergio Lobera said.
The Spaniard was quick to downplay the fact that they are leading the standings at this stage of the competition.
"Our focus needs to remain on the games. It's a big mistake for us to watch the table now. We want to win, we are top of the table and happy about this situation. But the most important thing is to put our focus on how to win the next game, not about the target of where we want to be. We need to take it game by game and see the table at the end of the season and achieve the best position."
Chennaiyin will hope to take confidence from the fact that last time these two sides met, Lucian Goian's winner took Chennaiyin to the ISL 2019-20 semifinals.