Chennai’s Aizawl test in I-League
Chennai, Jan 27 (IANS) A tough test awaits winless Chennai City FC as Mizoram-based Aizawl FC arrive for the round five Hero I-League football clash at the Jawaharlal Nehru stadium here on Saturday.
The home side find themselves at the wrong end of the table, having garnered just a single point from four outings in what is their maiden campaign in the country’s premier football league.
On the other hand, Khalid Jamil’s team has been on a roll, winning their last three games after drawing the opening encounter against East Bengal.
But Jamil is not getting carried away with their strong start to the season and he prefers to stay focused before taking on Chennai City.
“Talking about this game, we are playing a solid team under Robin Charles Raja. I saw them play last game against Mohun Bagan. They played well. We’re not taking this game lightly. We will play a normal game,” he said in a release.
“I’ve seen all their matches that were telecast. They played good football. They have strong defence, experienced players, good players. It will not be an easy game,” he added.
Chennai City coach Raja, on the other hand, admitted that scoring goals has been a concern for his side.
“With Khalid’s experience, they (Aizawl) look a threat. We will definitely do well. Goals are a problem and we need them. But we are getting better.”
Chennai City put in a terrific performance in the last game against Mohun Bagan where they stretched them all the way before Sony Norde scored a late winner. Raja felt that his team is getting better after every game.
But, in what is a blow to them, captain and defender Dharmaraj Ravanan is still awaiting a positive nod from the medical team.
“Ravanan was injured against Mohun Bagan. He’s getting better and we’ll wait for the physio’s report before taking a call,” he said.