ISL 2023-24: East Bengal eye comeback against Chennaiyin FC

Chennaiyin FC did the double over East Bengal in ISL 2022-23.

Chennaiyin FC and East Bengal will be both looking to desperately get back to winning ways when they meet at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, Chennai on Saturday (25 November).

The Marina Machans hope to move into the Indian Super League (ISL) playoffs zone by getting back to winning ways at home. On the other hand, the Red & Gold Brigade are eager to end a three-match losing streak and reinvigorate their own playoff ambitions.

The Stakes

Chennaiyin FC

Owen Coyle’s side are well aware of the importance of winning games at home for them to stay alive in the playoffs race. Despite their 3-0 loss to FC Goa recently, Chennaiyin are likely to get major fan support for the game against East Bengal and will aim to use that to put in an inspired performance.

They’re facing an East Bengal side who are in a mini-crisis and one to have lost their last three games. They’ll be eyeing a big win to energize their momentum and prepare them well for the string of games during the winter season. Anything but a win against this struggling Kolkata side can pose questions on their capability of securing a playoff spot.

East Bengal

East Bengal will hope that the recent international window works as a turning point of their campaign. The Red & Gold Brigade were perhaps a bit unlucky to lose their last three matches, which has seen them already fall behind the top-six.

Carles Cuadrat’s side needs to start getting points consistently to be a playoff contender. They need to be more ruthless in the final third and take chances well to win. A win over this confident Chennaiyin side at their own yard can work wonders in improving their momentum. A point can be respectable too, but another loss can probably cause the squad’s confidence to go down and significantly pile up the pressure on them.

Injury & Team News

East Bengal's Borja Herrera will have to pass a late fitness test to make himself available for this game. Chennaiyin FC have all their players available.

Head-to-Head

Total Matches – 6

Chennaiyin FC wins – 2

East Bengal wins – 0

Draw – 4

Predicted Lineups

Chennaiyin FC (4-2-3-1)

Debjit Majumder (GK), Ankit Mukherjee, Bikash Yumnam, Ryan Edwards, Akash Sangwan, Cristian Battocchio, Jiteshwor Singh, Connor Shields, Rafael Crivellaro, Farukh Choudhary, Rahim Ali

East Bengal (4-4-2)

Prabhsukhan Gill (GK), Nishu Kumar, Lalchungnunga, Hijazi Maher, Mandar Rao Dessai, Harmanjot Khabra, Saul Crespo, Nandhakumar Sekar, Naorem Mahesh Singh, Cleiton Silva, Javier Siverio

Players to Watch

Connor Shields (Chennaiyin FC)

Connor Shields has had a pretty decent start to his career at Chennaiyin FC, scoring three goals in six appearances for them. He has been a pain for opposition defenders with his smart movement in the final third and efficient finishing ability.

Indeed, the Englishman has scored three goals from just eight shooting attempts and has also been able to create quite a few chances. Shields will look to improve his goal tally against this shaky East Bengal side and gain momentum from the home support. He’ll probably aim to shake off his marker with his clever off-the-ball runs and get into the key areas inside the box to be a major goal-scoring threat.

Naorem Mahesh Singh (East Bengal)

Despite his side’s topsy-turvy form, Naorem Mahesh Singh has had a solid start to the campaign and has arguably been East Bengal’s best attacking player. He has been a pain for defenders due to his ability to dart into the key areas through the wings and send in some amazing crosses into the box.

Mahesh will look to thrive under his free role against Chennaiyin, moving into different spaces to keep defenders guessing. But the India international has to guide his crosses perfectly to set up major chances for Cleiton Silva & co. while also capitalizing on his own chances to help East Bengal end their poor run of form.

Did you know?

• Rahim Ali has been impressive with his pressing this season, averaging 1.7 possessions won in the final third per 90 minutes, the second most for any ISL player.
• Nandhakumar Sekar has registered 11 successful take-ons, the joint-third most for any player in this ISL season.
• Chennaiyin FC did the double over East Bengal in the 2022-23 ISL edition.

Telecast

The Chennaiyin FC vs East Bengal game kicks off at 5:30 PM IST, at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, Chennai on 25 November. Live telecast of the fixture will be available on Sports18 Network (Sports18 1/VH1 Channel). Live streaming of the game will be available on the Jio Cinema app. Viewers from abroad can use OneFootball to stream the game.