ISL 2023-24: FC Goa eye pole position against Chennaiyin FC

This will be the 24th ISL clash between Chennaiyin FC and FC Goa.

The Indian Super League (ISL) has seen the emergence of a lot of rivalries over the last one decade. One such epic rivalry exists between two time ISL champions Chennaiyin FC and the league’s first-ever Shield winners FC Goa.

Both sides have produced mind blowing games over the years and the same will be expected come Sunday. It will be an entertaining game in Chennai as the Marina Machans host the Gaurs.

On that note let us take a look at how things stand.

The Stakes

Chennaiyin FC

After a pretty rough start to the season, Chennaiyin FC are finally up and running. They lost their opening three games, but have fought back in style with two back-to-back wins. 

The two-time ISL Champions come into this game on the back of a highly motivating 5-1 victory at home over Punjab FC. They are certainly high on confidence and will be keen to improve their head-to-head record against FC Goa.

FC Goa

FC Goa are one of the only three undefeated sides in the ISL so far. The Gaurs began their campaign with three back-to-back emphatic wins, but were held to a 0-0 draw by Bengaluru FC last week.

They have undoubtedly been one of the best sides in the league and have good statistics to show for their efforts. In four games, they’ve kept two clean-sheets and scored six goals in total. They’ll certainly want to add one more win to their already good-looking record against Chennaiyin FC.

Injury & Team News

Chennaiyin FC are expected to field a fully fit squad. Noah Sadaoui is back in training for FC Goa, but it is unlikely that he’ll be handed a start by Manolo Marquez.

Head-to-head

Total Matches Played (ISL) – 23

Chennaiyin FC wins – 9

FC Goa wins – 12

Draws – 2

Predicted Line-up

Chennaiyin FC (4-4-2)

Debjit Majumder (GK), Bikash Yumnam, Lazar Cirkovic, Ryan Edwards, Aakash Sangwan, Ankit Mukherjee, Ayush Adhikari, Rafael Crivellaro, Farukh Chaudhary, Rahim Ali, Connor Shields

FC Goa (4-2-3-1)

Arshdeep Singh (GK), Seriton Fernandes, Odei Onaindia, Sandesh Jhingan, Jay Gupta, Raynier Fernandes, Carl McHugh, Udanta Singh, Victor Rodriguez, Brandon Fernandes, Carlos Martinez

Players to watch

Connor Shields (Chennaiyin FC)

The Scottish forward has been in top form for Chennaiyin FC. Despite taking some time to settle in, he has adapted well in Owen Coyle’s system. The forward has scored three goals in five games, including a winner against Hyderabad FC and a brace against Punjab FC last week. Expect him to fire on all cylinders against FC Goa.

Sandesh Jhingan (FC Goa)

Sandesh Jhingan has been a solid signing for FC Goa. He has strengthened their backline and has formed a formidable partnership with Odei Onaindia at the heart of the defence. Jhingan has played a key role in keeping things tight at the back and has clinched two clean-sheets so far. Moreover, he also scored his first ever ISL goal two weeks back against East Bengal.

Did You Know?

• Chennaiyin FC vs FC Goa is the highest-scoring fixture in the history of the ISL and averages three goals per game.
• Chennaiyin FC won their first ISL title by defeating FC Goa in the final of 2015.
• Both sides have scored a total of 84 goals over the last 10 seasons.

Telecast

The kick-off for the Chennaiyin FC vs FC Goa game is at 8:00 PM IST on 5 November 2023. The match will be played at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Chennai. The broadcast and live streaming of the game will be available on the Sports18 Network (Sports18 1 Channel/VH1 Channel) and JioCinema app, respectively. Viewers from abroad can watch the game on OneFootball.

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