Chennaiyin faces rivals Kerala Blasters in the first of its two back to back Southern derby at the Tilak Maidan. Both clubs are coming into the contest with huge wins from their last games.
CFC vs KBFC Match Details :
When: Wednesday, December 22
Time: 19:30 (IST)
Where: Tilak Maidan
CFC vs KBFC Match Preview :
Chennaiyin FC got back to winning ways after a narrow 1-0 loss against league leaders Mumbai City with a 2-1 win over playoff candidates Odisha FC. Despite losing the clean sheet when Javi Hernandez grabbed a late consolidation in added time, CFC rode on to victory through goals from Germanpreet Singh and Mirlan Murzaev. Striker Lukasz Gikiewicz had his penalty saved by Kamaljit Singh for CFC but it didn't matter at the end. Bandanovic will be happy his boys responded well to that defeat by dominating possession and creating a string of chances to extend the scoring numbers then it looked on the board after the final whistle. Also, the team seem to have coped without having a focal point in attack since none of their forwards are firing. With the defense looking tightly packed, becoming their identity this season, Chennaiyin only have to keep the pace and avoid defeats in the next games in order to be in the dream playoff place.
While CFC's unbeaten record was shattered by Mumbai City, KBFC caused a major uproar by beating them in their last fixture. Out of the odds, the Yellow Army scored three past the defending champions without any reply and got Mourtada Fall sent off all in a single game. Two of the strikes were for the highlight reel, especially Alvaro Vazquez's show stopping hit in the 47th minute. KBFC made sure MCFC didn't swallow them up with their possession game and hit them with a Sahal volley for the opener. Fall received his second booking leading Jorge Pereya to score the third for the game from the penalty spot after assisting Sahal's goal in the first half. Altogether, Ivan Vukanovic's side were a different animal in the game. With the attack significantly improved and the defense as rigid as ever, Kerala are hoping to provide another cracking display in the season's second Southern derby.
Recent Form :
CFC: WLDDW
KBFC: WDWDD
CFC vs KBFC Team News :
There are no injury concerns for either camp prior to the fixture and avoiding any late withdrawals, both managers will have a fit squad from their last games to choose from.
Expected Lineups :
CFC: Vishal Kaith; Ariel Borysiuk, Slavko Damjanovic, Narayan Das, Vladimir Koman, Reagan Singh, Anirudh Thapa, Germanpreet Singh, Jerry Larinzuala, Mirlan Murzaev, Lallianzuala Chhangte
KBFC: Prabhsukhan Gill; Harmanjot Khabra, Hormipam R, Marko Leskovic, Jessel Carneiro, Sahal Samad, Jeakson Singh, Lalthathanga, Adrian Luna, Alvaro Vazquez, Jorge Pereya
CFC vs KBFC Head to Head :
The last two games of this fixture ended 1-1 and an 0-0 stalemate in the previous campaign with both franchises underachieving. It was a nine goal thriller in the game back in February 2020 with Chennaiyin taking all the points from the incredible game. Also, Kerala Blasters have only won once in the last five meetings.
CFC vs KBFC Dream11 Team Prediction :
GK: Gill (KBFC)
DEF: Reagan (CFC), Narayan Das (CFC), Leskovic (KBFC), Carneiro (KBFC)
MID: Sahal (KBFC), Koman (CFC), Thapa (CFC), Luna (KBFC)
FW: A. Vazquez (KBFC), Pereya (KBFC)
