Chennai: Struggling to move up the points table, laggards Chennaiyin FC and NorthEast United FC are gearing up to take on each other in an Indian Super League match, here on Thursday.
At eighth spot with 12 points, the home team has made a recovery of sorts after a nightmarish start. NEUFC are one spot below. CFC coach Owen Coyle, who has taken over after a beleagured John Gregory parted ways with the club, is hoping that the team will build on the win against Hyderabad FC. Nerijus Valskis has been the key player for CFC with seven goals to his name so far. His importance for the team can’t be overemphasised and he needs to be at his best if Coyle’s men aim for another victory.
Lallianzuala Chhangte has also been in good form and he will also have to keep performing if CFC has to climb up the points ladder. Ahead of Thursday’s match, Coyle stressed the importance of making their home advantage count “NorthEast are a great team and it will be a tough match for us. They are trying to strengthen their squad. Every game is a tough game in this league. But to go out there in our home stadium, on hour home field, we are looking forward to it and are excited about the challenge ahead,” he said. “Three of our next four games will be at home. We will try to be consistent, gather the points and challenge for the top four. There will be some tough matches towards the end but that’s the nature of the league. We will focus on the match at hand and if we can win, everyone will feel good about it.” (PTI)
