Chennaiyin host Hyderabad FC in battle of two struggling teams

The game will be a test for John Gregory as his team look to turn a new leaf after what has been a difficult start to the season.

Both Chennaiyin FC and Hyderabad FC have endured tumultuous starts to their campaign, with the latter just edging the points table with a single league win to CFC’s duck. The ninth and tenth placed teams in the league will do battle at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Chennai. Hyderabad have conceded a league high, ten goals so far this campaign. Whereas, Chennaiyin are still waiting to open their goalscoring account for the season. [KH_ADWORDS type="3" align="center"][/KH_ADWORDS]

The Stakes

Defeat against Hyderabad would almost certainly see the end of John Gregory's reign at the Marina Arena. The Englishman cut a forlorn figure as he addressed the media following the loss to Bengaluru FC, even admitting that perhaps it was time for a change at the club. On the other hand, victory for Hyderabad would see them catapult to seven points. This means that they would be just two points obehind ATK at the top of the league.

Team News

Chennaiyin FC Chennaiyin do not have any fresh injury problems ahead of this match. However, Gregory is still searching for his best starting lineup and will probably continue to experiment this time around. Hyderabad FC Hyderabad are likely to have both Sahil Panwar and Giles Barnes back from injury, providing a much-needed boost to Phil Brown’s side that will gradually grow towards full strength.

Head-to-Head

Chennaiyin FC and the erstwhile FC Pune City have locked horns 10 times in the ISL, with the former two-time champions coming out on top in seven of the encounters. Two of these games ended in draws.

Men to Watch

Lallianzuala Chhangte

Chhangte has been a bright spark so far in a quite dismal team in the ISL

The winger was left on the bench against Bengaluru, much to the bewilderment of the Chennaiyin FC fans. Chhangte has been a bright spark in a quite dismal team and will be looking to make a mark as soon as he possibly can in terms of goals and assists. Marko Stankovic The Austrian midfielder has been a point of consistency in an otherwise highly-inconsistent outfit. The 33-year-old has become a mainstay in Phil Brown’s team and will look to exploit the Chennai side by winning the crucial midfield battle.

Predicted Lineups

Chennaiyin FC

Kaith, Vanspaul, Sabia, Goian, Tondonba, Ganesh, Thapa, Firtulescu, Schembri, Chhangte, Valskis.

Hyderabad FC

Kamaljit, Gurtej, Sampingiraj, Kilgallon, Panwar, Stankovic, Poojary, Kumar, Marcelinho, Robin, Barnes. [KH_RELATED_NEWS title="Related News | Article Continues Below"][/KH_RELATED_NEWS]

Did You Know?

• Chennaiyin FC have failed to score a league goal since the 6th of November 2018, when they beat FC Pune City (Now known as Hyderabad FC)
• Both sides that Marcelinho has played for in the ISL (Delhi Dynamos FC and FC Pune City), no longer exist.
• Vishal Kaith will face his former side Hyderabad FC (earlier FC Pune City) for the first time since joining Chennaiyin FC.

Broadcast

The game will take place at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium on Monday and will be telecast live on Star Sports 2 and Stars Sports 2 HD from 7:30 PM IST. It will also be streamed on Hotstar and Jio TV.