Preview: Chennaiyin FC aim to build momentum against Mumbai City

The Islanders earned a high-scoring win against the Marina Machans in the Durand Cup.

Mumbai City will face Chennaiyin FC at the Jawaharlal Nehru Indoor Stadium in the southern city on Saturday. The home side defeated East Bengal by a slender margin of 1-0 in their previous match at the Salt Lake Stadium last Friday. 

The Islanders, on the other hand, are coming into this game on the back of a hard-fought 2-2 draw against the Mariners. Mumbai City and Chennaiyin FC have played quite a few exciting encounters in recent times and there is a lot of stake as they meet again for their first faceoff of the current campaign. Let us take a look at a detailed preview of this match.

The Stakes

Chennaiyin FC

Thomas Brdarić’s team has appeared to be a well-functioning unit so far but they need to get favourable results in their bag on a more consistent basis going forward.

Coaches from across the teams have opened up about the difficulty of snatching points from away fixtures since the crowds have returned to the stadiums after the relaxation of pandemic-related rules. On that note, Chennaiyin need to ensure that they maximize the home game advantage and notch three points against a Mumbai City setup that has some glaring chinks in their armour.

Mumbai City

The Islanders were hoping for a revitalized campaign after a disappointing run in the league last year. So far, they have delivered only mixed results. They surely have avoided any defeat so far, but the inability to close out games means that they are already seven points behind the table-toppers Hyderabad FC.

These are concerning signs for a club that has the backing of one of the most powerful footballing groups in the world. The Islanders have been ruthless in the transfer market since the City Football Group (CFG) takeover. Now, it’s time that a similar relentless pursuit of success begins reflecting in a sustainable manner on the field as well.

Team News

Amey Ranawade has been ruled out of the season for Mumbai City. Chennaiyin FC will miss the services of Vafa Hakhamaneshi who was shown a red card in the previous match. Also, Kwame Karikari and Narayan Das are out due to injuries.

Head-to-Head

The two teams have competed against each other 16 times in the ISL so far. Mumbai City have emerged triumphant on seven occasions whereas Chennaiyin FC hace won six of those games. Three matches resulted in a draw.

Mumbai won the last ISL faceoff between these two sides 1-0, courtesy an 85th minute goal by Vikram Pratap Singh at the Fatorda Stadium on 6th February, 2022.

Probable Line-ups

Chennaiyin FC: Debjit Majumder (GK); Ajith Kumar, Fallou Diagne, Julius Duker, Aakash Sangwan; Jiteshwor Singh, Anirudh Thapa; Prasanth Karuthadathkuni, Nasser El Khayati, Rahim Ali, Petar Slišković.

Mumbai City: Phurba Lachenpa (GK); Rahul Bheke, Rostyn Griffiths, Mehtab Singh, Sanjeev Stalin; Lalengmawia Ralte, Ahmed Jahouh, Alberto Noguera; Lallianzuala Chhangte, Bipin Singh, Greg Stewart.

Man to Watch

Anirudh Thapa (Chennaiyin FC)

The creativity in Mumbai City's setup stems from its midfield. The duo of Ahmed Jahouh and Alberto Noguera has the capability to run riot in Chennai provided Des Buckingham fields them together in the starting XI.

Anirudh Thapa is the home team’s engine at the centre of the park and he will be entrusted with ensuring that Mumbai do not dictate the proceedings from the middle. He has been in some fine form and put in a compelling performance in the team’s victory against East Bengal last week. Thapa will have to be at the top of his game so that Mumbai do not get on top of his team.

Lallianzuala Chhangte (Mumbai City)

Lallianzuala Chhangte is set to return to his old hunting ground albeit in a much more refined avatar in Mumbai City colours. The winger has been in some incredible goal-scoring touch in recent times and it showed in the thumping goal he scored in the opening minutes of Mumbai’s clash with ATK Mohun Bagan last Sunday.

Chhangte has scored twice and struck a shot against Jamshedpur FC that was deemed to be an own goal in five outings this season. He was anguished at being taken off around the hour-mark against the Mariners and will be edging to prove a point as he takes on his former employers on Saturday.

Did You Know?

• Greg Stewart has taken the most shots on target (8) in the league this season. However, the 31-year-old has only one goal to show for it at the end of the day.

• Mumbai City players have collectively attracted the most number of yellow cards (10) until now. Both Stewart and Jahouh have been booked twice each.

• Lallianzuala Chhangte scored 12 goals in 53 league appearances during his two-and-a-half-season stint with Chenniayin FC.

Telecast

The kick-off time for the Mumbai City vs Chennaiyin FC game is 7:30 pm IST on 12th November (Saturday). The game will be telecasted live on the Star Sports Network. Disney+HotStar and JioTV will also stream the match.