CHENNAI: Chennaiyin FC will be back at their home - the Marina Arena - after a gap of three years. And they couldn't have asked for a spicier game than the souther derby - against Bengaluru FC - to make a comeback to the venue which has seen many memorable performances from the two-time champions.
CFC are on a high after beating ATK Mohun Bagan in their first game away from home. Bengaluru FC, too, come here on the back of a 1-0 win against NorthEast United FC. "It feels good to be back at the Marina Arena after two seasons. Finally, fans are coming back to the stadium to support us, it feels so good," Chennaiyin skipper Anirudh Thapa told the reporters on Thursday.
The last two seasons were a struggle for CFC and it was made all the more difficult with no fan support, the games taking place in front of empty galleries in Goa.
On Thursday, there will be a wave of blue in the galleries, but coach Thomas Bradaric knows the team will have to be at the top of their game to get the better of BFC.
"Bengaluru are a very experienced team and we've to be well prepared for the match tomorrow. We'll have to defend well and put them under pressure," Bradaric said.
On the other hand, Simon Grayson's side is also keen to continue with the intent that they showed in the first game and beat CFC. "We're traveling to Chennai with the same intent that we had at home and that is to win the game. In terms of preparations, it isn't very different from when we play at home. We want to be positive and build on what we've managed to do so far," said Grayson.
It would be important for Chennaiyin to handle the opening minutes well as Bagan created plenty of chances and finally scored in the 27th minute. Chennaiyin, despite trailing 0-1, made a dramatic comeback after introducing Ghanaian forward Kwame Karikari in the second half to snatch full points. This is one factor that might bother Grayson.
"If you look at the games that have happened so far, Odisha couldn't handle the opening minutes against Jamshedpur, and Chennaiyin couldn't do the same against Mohun Bagan. But both Odisha and Chennaiyin managed to stay in contention and get positive results. We've got to be careful of this, have a clear idea of what we want to do to manage the game," Grayson explained.
BFC will provide plenty of goal threat with Roy Krishna and Sunil Chhetri, the two top marksmen in ISL, working in tandem. The CFC defence has to be organised to keep the duo at bay.
According to skipper Thapa, consistency in all departments has to be the key if they have to make a mark. "We need to be consistent with our performances. The first half of the game against Bagan was quite slow and we lost quite a few balls and positions also. But we came stronger in the second half and that's what we need to do for the full 90 minutes. If we keep the momentum going, I think we will have a pretty good season." the skipper said.
