Chennai: Back in the hunt with two notable away results in their favour hosts, Chennai City will eye revenge when they take on debutants Neroca FC in the reverse fixture here on Tuesday.
“In Imphal, we lost the match as we missed many chances and a penalty kick. Now we know our mistakes and we will go all out tomorrow,” said head coach V Soundarajan at the pre-match conference.
Although placed seventh with just eight points from the same number of matches, their latest results have been a 2-1 win against Mohun Bagan with just 10 men in their own background and a goalless draw against Shillong Lajong and the Southern Outfits will hope to continue the same against Neroca at home.
“We have a specific strategy for the opposition team and we have the support of playing on our home ground,” added Soundarajan. But defeating an opponent placed third in the table and on a unbeaten streak of six matches is easier said than done.
Beginning with a 1-2 loss to Minerva Punjab in their opener, the Manipuri club has since then gone onto remain unbeaten in the next six, conceding just five goals, a joint lowest with Bagan and Minerva and will surely have the upper hand over Chennai having beaten them 2-1 at Imphal earlier.
Draws against the likes of East Bengal and the Mariners have given them additional boost feels head coach Gift Raikhan. “My team is consistently doing very well now. My boys are doing well now. The team is collectively strong,” he said.
But competing without any practise won’t be easy for Raikhan’s men against a Chennai side who return to their home turf having gained some late momentum in the league with fair amount of success that saw then rise from being ninth to seventh in the 10 men table.
The team is yet to find any training ground for match practise having arrived late in the city and although Raikhan complained about such poor planning, he urged his team ‘to prepare mentally and stand together.’