Chennaiyin FC are desperate for a win to get into the playoff places as they face a SC East Bengal team licking their wounds from their derby defeat. Both sides suffered frustrating losses in their previous game.
SCEB vs CFC Match Details :
When: Wednesday, 2nd February 2022
Time: 19:30 (IST)
Where: Tilak Maidan
SCEB vs CFC Match Preview :
SC East Bengal thought they would finally taste a Kolkata derby win in the ISL after being beaten twice last season when midfielder Darren Sideol strike early in the second half seemed to have proven the game plan of head coach Mario Rivera. Instead the euphoria happened for a substitute, a star kid and the son of a legendary footballer, Kiyan Nassiri scoring a spectacular hat trick for ATKMB instantly going into the history books. The sudden impact of this youngster proved to be a hammer blow for Rivera's men keen on making a difference in their fortunes. Losing the game in the last 30 mins piled up the misery of their crushing 4-0 loss to Hyderabad FC. It is easy to blame Rivera for the recent poor showings by having only win under the belt since his appointment but he has to rely upon the second worst defense in the entire league. Another worry for the Spaniard is that the forwards aren't up to the scratch although he is wishing the partnership of Perosevic and new signing Marcelo works out well.
Chennaiyin FC are better placed than their counterpart and within touching distance of the much desired playoff places. However, their inconsistent form is a headache for coach Bozidar Bandanovic. The early season defensive discipline is long gone with CFC hitting a low in their 3-0 defeat to southern rivals Bengaluru FC. If that wasn't painful, the Marina Machans lost their star winger Lalrinzuala Chhangte to Mumbai City on loan. The Serbian added light to the story saying that he asked him to stay by renewing his contract but the 24 year felt it was better for him to join the Islanders to get a chance in the AFC Champions League, the ISL champions will play few months after the conclusion of the domestic league. Without gaining anything from the situation, CFC will rely upon their existing players to do it all for the team. The loss also forced fans to question the coach's defensive formation but Bozidar will stick to this three man backline claiming it works fine when Anirudh Thapa and Vladimir Koman is in midfield.
Recent Form :
SCEB: LLWLD
CFC: LWDLW
SCEB vs CFC Team News :
SC East Bengal have no fresh injury concerns in their squad although it is left to seen if Ankit Mukherjee is fit to play after forced into substitution within 10 minutes into the derby.
Whereas Chennaiyin can field the doubts from the previous game in this one. Coach Bandanovic made it clear that Anirudh Thapa didn't feature against Bengaluru FC due to a precautionary measure taken for his injury only and nothing to do with Covid. He will be on the starting team sheet on Wednesday. Germanpreet and Vladimir Koman were withdrawn in the match following knocks but it won't trouble them to make their way back in the starting lineup as well.
SCEB vs CFC Expected Lineups :
SCEB: Arindam Bhattacharya; Amarjit Singh, Adil Khan, Franjo Prce, Hira Mondal, Naorem Singh, Darren Sideol, Sourav Das, Mohammed Rafique, Marcelo Santos, Antonio Perosevic
CFC: Debjit Majumdar; Sajid Dhot, Slavko Damjanovic, Narayan Das, Reagan Singh, Vladimir Koman, Anirudh Thapa, Germanpreet Singh, Jerry Lalrinzuala, Lukasz Gikiewicz, Mirlan Murzaev
SCEB vs CFC Head to Head
This fixture is interesting because neither of the two teams had manage to outdo the other three times they faced each other in ISL history. Last two meetings ended in a 0-0 stalemate after a fiery 2-2 draw last season. But it is likely the goals will hardly flow in this fixture again.
SCEB vs CFC Dream11 Team Prediction
GK: Debjit (8.5)
DEF: Reagan (9), Damjanovic (8.5), Das (8.5), Mondal (8.5)
MID: Sidoel (8.5), Thapa (9), Koman (9.5), Rafique (9)
FW: Mahesh (9), Murzaev (9.5)
