CFC vs MBSG Match Details
Date: Saturday, 7 October 2023
Time: 20:00 (IST)
Venue: Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, Chennai
CFC vs MBSG Match Preview
Going through changes in the summer including bringing back head coach Owen Coyle to the club, it was a surprise to see Chennaiyin FC start the tenth edition of the ISL at the bottom of the table with back-to-back defeats and not even scoring a goal. The Marina Machans suffered a 2-0 loss to Odisha FC in the opener and fell prey to a resurgent NorthEast United who defeated them 3-0. In both the games, the team mostly conceded on transition and failed to take their opportunities even making more entries inside the opposition’s box. The team will look to regather themselves after two difficult away trips in their first home game of the season but are going to face another stiff challenge in the form of the league trophy holders Mohun Bagan Super Giant. The two-time ISL winners are not willing to lose more ground this early in the season and avoiding another defeat in front of the home crowd will be their first priority. Chennaiyin FC have not won this fixture at home with two draws and a defeat although they beat the Mariners for the first time in Salt Lake at the start of last season. Apart from the Kolkata derby loss last month in the group stages, the Mariners have not failed to find the back of the net which will be a major worry for this leaky defence.
On the other hand, Mohun Bagan Super Giant are in an incredible winning run of nine games in all competitions. They top the chart in ISL beginning with back-to-back victories over Punjab FC and Bengaluru FC while their winning habit has also left a mark on the continental stage. The Green and Maroons won 2-1 against a defensively resolute Maziya Sports & Recreation at Salt Lake in their second AFC Cup game courtesy of a last-gasp winner from Jason Cummings. The Australia star striker gave Mohun Bagan the lead but made a mess of a spot-kick awarded with an attempted penalty pass going wrong. It allowed the opposition to get back into the game but last season’s A-League top-scorer showed his class again amending his mistake. Although the Mariners are flying high in their winning run, all but one of those victories have come at home. So, it will be a chance for the Durand Cup winners to test their pedigree in their first away trip of the ISL season. The team would like to add more goals to this star-studded squad creating numerous chances each game. Against a struggling side, this could be a game to improve their conversion rate.
CFC vs MBSG Team News
Chennaiyin FC will get the boost of having Vincy Baretto and Rahim Ali back into the fold after their national duties in the Asian Games and could slot right into the starting eleven. Ryan Edwards could also make his first start as centre-back replacing Lazar Cirkovic. Connor Shields will continue to lead the line ahead of Jordan Murray. Samik Mitra is expected to be fit to start in between the sticks after exiting the pitch with a knock in the last match despite reaching the limit of substitutions. Right-back Aniket Mukherjee was gloved on in his place and conceded a rocket from Asheer Akhtar in the dying minutes of the game. The former East Bengal player will return back to his position.
This will be a homecoming fixture for Anirudh Thapa who departed Chennaiyin FC after spending seven years at the club. He will start the game against his former side after making a substitute appearance in the midweek AFC Cup game. Therefore, Glan Martins will make his place on the bench. It will be a reunion for goalkeeper Vishal Kaith too although this will be his second visit. The 27-year-old kept a clean sheet in the last meeting in the scoreless draw between the sides. Sahal Abdul Samad and captain Subhasish Bose will also return to the starting XI.
CFC vs MBSG Predicted Lineups
CFC: Samik Mitra; Aniket Mukherjee, Bikash Yumnam, Ryan Edwards, Aakash Sangwan; Jiteshwor Singh, Cristian Battocchio; Rahim Ali, Rafael Crivellaro, Vincy Baretto; Connor Shields
MBSG: Vishal Kaith; Asish Rai, Anwar Ali, Hector Yuste, Subhasish Bose; Sahal Samad, Anirudh Thapa, Hugo Boumous; Manvir Singh, Jason Cummings, Dimitri Petratos
CFC vs MBSG Head to Head
Played - 6
CFC won - 1
Drawn - 3
MBSG won - 2
CFC vs MBSG Dream11 Team Prediction
GK: Kaith (7.5)
DEF: Anwar (8.5), Yuste (7.5), Sangwan (8.5)
MID: Sahal (8.5), Crivellaro (7), Jiteshwor (7.5), Boumous (8)
FW: Petratos (9), Cummings (9), Barretto (8.5)
Vice-captain: Hugo Boumous
Captain: Jason Cummings
Stay tuned to ISL 2023-24 for upcoming matches.
