CFC coach Thomas Brdaric reveals the players he will field against Mumbai City

The coach also spoke highly of the Islanders.

Chennaiyin FC will be keen to carry forward their winning form when they host Mumbai City at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Chennai on Saturday for a 2022-23 Indian Super League clash. Thomas Brdaric's side will look to carry forward their momentum from their previous fixture, as they come into this match with an away win against East Bengal. On the other hand, Mumbai City has travelled to Chennai after sharing points with ATK Mohun Bagan.

Chennaiyin FC head coach Thomas Brdaric and defender Akash Sangwan were present at the pre-match press conference. Here's what they said.

On the absence of Vafa Hakhamaneshi

Vafa Hakamaneshi was shown a red card in the last encounter against East Bengal for his celebration. He will be replaced by Julius Duker in the centre-back position.

Thomas Brdaric revealed, “Akash Sangwan come will in for Narayan Das and Julius Duker will be playing instead of Vafa in the centre-back position.”

Injury Updates

Kwame Karikari missed the last game against East Bengal due to an injury and is set to miss the next game against Mumbai City as well since he hasn't recovered completely.

The 52-year-old said, “Kwame Karikari, unfortunately, will not be playing tomorrow as he was injured last week. Nasser El Khayati will be a backup option tomorrow.”

Updates on Vincy Baretto and Alexander Romario Jesuraj

Both Vincy Baretto and Alexander Romario Jesuraj have not played a single game since the start of the season (the Durand Cup days). Both shall play a vital role in the wing position as soon as they get back from injuries.

The coach asserted, “Vincy is a guy very eager and humble and needs to train more to understand the team's model of play. We have a lot of players who are close to making it to the matchday squad as well but there are a few who need to double the work in training as they did not get a lot of training time during the pre-season.”

Thoughts on weather affecting the condition of the pitch

Chennai has been receiving heavy rainfall for the past few days and the forecast for Saturday is also not good.

The German tactician asserted, “Yes, the conditions could affect the pitch and also we stayed back in Kolkata for some time to practice as the conditions were good there. Both the teams will play in the same conditions so should look to adapt.”

Thoughts on Mumbai City

Thomas Brdaric opened up about the opposition they're going to face on Saturday. He said, “They are a big club and we are honoured to play against them. They have a set target to win the ISL championship. We first have to look at their gameplay and get to know about their strengths and work on them accordingly.”

Confident going into the game against Mumbai City?

Akash Sangwan played for the majority of the time against East Bengal in the last encounter. He is set to start against Mumbai City as well.

Akash said, ”It was a good experience playing in the last game along with giving an assist too. I am more confident going into the next game and feeling good.”