Preview: Chennaiyin FC eye top spot with win Vs nervy SC East Bengal

The Marina Machans will be seeking their third consecutive victory on Friday.

With Chennaiyin FC’s confidence at an all-time high and SC East Bengal still trying to find their identity, it will be interesting to see how both the teams come out to play when they take on each other on Friday, December 3. The Marina Machans, led by head coach Bozidar Bandovic will be hoping to continue their momentum against a disheveled Red and Gold.

Head coach Manolo Diaz's post-match comments following SC East Bengal's defeat to ATK Mohun Bagan in the Kolkata Derby have raised many questions. "At the moment we don’t have enough quality to play matches in the Indian Super League (ISL)," he said. It is now up to the SCEB squad to change this perception.

The Stakes

Chennaiyin FC

Bandovic and his team come into this game on the back of a decent win against NorthEast United. Goals from Lallianzuala Chhangte and Anirudh Thapa ensured that they remained in the top four.

With a win against Diaz’s men, they will momentarily climb up to the top of the points table. All three points will be important for Chennai, if they want to continue their charge for the title.

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SC East Bengal

It hasn’t been the most ideal start for Manolo Diaz in his debut in the Indian Super League. His team have managed to get only a single point out of a possible nine, which is a sign of worry.

Winning their fixture against a buoyant Chennai will be a statement of intent on their behalf. They need to kick-start their season and can do so on Friday.

Team News

Inside the Chennai camp, Rafael Crivellaro remains ruled out. The news of his muscle injury came prior to their clash against NEUFC, after which he was ruled out for four weeks. There are no other injury issues.

For Diaz, Balwant Singh still remains on the sidelines. Their skipper Arindam Bhattacharya missed the match against Odisha FC and might be out this time as well. Apart from them, Jackichand Singh and Sourav Das are also injured - looks like SC East Bengal will miss many important players for this game.

Head-to-Head

Chennaiyin FC and SC East Bengal played each other twice last season. Both games ended in draws, the scorelines reading 2-2 and 0-0 on the respective occasions.

Probable Lineups

Chennaiyin FC (4-1-4-1): Vishal (GK), Reagan, Damjanovic, Salam Ranjan, Narayan, Ariel, Chhangte, Koman, Thapa, Murzaev, Rahim.

SC East Bengal (4-4-2): Sen (GK), Hira Mondal, Franjo Prce, Raju Gaikwad, Lourenco, Mohammed Rafique, Darren Sidoel, Bikash Jairu, Naorem Singh, Antonio Perosevic, Daniel Chima.

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Man to Watch

Anirudh Thapa (Chennaiyin FC)

The 23-year-old midfielder led his side to victory against NEUFC. The skipper’s darting run with the ball was ended with a thumping strike. His goal clinched all three points for his team and this time he’ll be hoping to have a similar impact.

Even when he’s not on the ball, he is a strong voice in midfield. Thapa tries to help his team defensively as well, but he is most threatening going forward. You might just watch him boss the midfield against SCEB.

Daniel Chima (SC East Bengal)

After the opening match, Chima was relegated to the bench. But, after his excellent performance off the bench against Odisha, he should get the nod to start. In his short 30 minutes on the pitch, he scored two goals, almost bringing his team back into the game. He has shown that if given a chance, he can score goals.

His hold-up play and display of strength against defenders is second to none. He’ll be looking forward to pounce on any mistake, or any stray ball given away by Chennaiyin.

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Did You Know?

• Neither team has won against the other so far. Both sides will be looking to change that.
• Chennaiyin have conceded only one goal in their first two matches. SC East Bengal have already conceded four in their first two outings and six more in their third game!
• Lallianzuala Chhangte scored in their 2-2 draw against SCEB last season.

Telecast

The match will be broadcasted on the Star Sports Network, and live-streamed on Jio TV and Disney+Hotstar apps. It will kick-off at 7:30 pm (IST) at the Tilak Maidan.

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