Thomas Brdaric: We've to learn from mistakes and avoid them in future

The Chennaiyin FC head coach also shed light on the injury concerns in the side.

Chennaiyin FC will be playing their third consecutive away match against Hyderabad FC on January 12. Thomas Brdaric's side had a pretty good outing against Jamshedpur FC, drawing the game after conceding two goals. The game against Hyderabad FC will be an important one to stay in contention for the playoffs (top six spots). Chennaiyin FC lost 1-3 the last time these two sides met, at the Marina Arena.

The pre-match press conference was attended by head coach Thomas Brdaric and goalkeeper Samik Mitra.

Satisfied with the performance against Jamshedpur FC?

Chennaiyin FC were trailing by two goals in the last match but bounced back strongly, scoring two quick goals and settling for a draw.

The head coach said, “We bounced back pretty well against Jamshedpur FC, but now the focus is now to play Hyderabad FC, which will be a tough match.”

Playoffs Qualification

Chennaiyin FC currently occupy the seventh spot with 15 points and are four points behind FC Goa, who have 19 points in their tally. 

Thomas Brdaric iterated, “Every game is a new experience. We have to learn from our past mistakes and avoid making those in future matches. Currently, our focus is on the game against Hyderabad FC, who are a tough opponent.”

Thoughts on Hyderabad FC

Hyderabad FC have won 10 matches out of their 13, and currently occupy the second spot with 31 points. They are only behind Mumbai City, who are unbeaten this season with 33 points. They are currently on a eight-match winning run. 

Thomas Brdaric heaped praises on Hyderabad FC and said, “It will be a good challenge to play against Hyderabad FC. They have a good coach and coaching staff and had already started building the squad in the last couple of seasons. In the last six months, we have worked hard to compete with the top teams. Tomorrow we will get to know how we perform against a quality opposition.”

Injury Updates

Dutch midfielder Nasser El Khayati is still recovering from injury and forward Rahim Ali will also not be in the squad.

Samik Mitra on getting a chance to feature for Chennaiyin FC

Samik Mitra has been with the squad for a long time but has not featured in the playing XI with Debjit Majumdar and Vishal Kaith being heralded the primary goalkeeping duties in the previous seasons.

The goalkeeper stated, “It feels good to be in the team and playing XI. Everyone, including the coach, management, and players gave me confidence, and I feel proud to play for Chennaiyin FC since I have been associated with the club for a long time.”