Chennaiyin FC - Kerala Blasters FC Preview: Kerala look to register first win In what could be a rain affected tie, the Blasters look for redemption aiming to gazump all three points at the Chennaiyin stronghold.... It will be the battle of South India when Chennaiyin FC host Kerala Blasters FC in the ninth match of the inaugural Indian Super League (ISL) at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium. What will be tough to digest for the Sachin Tendulkar owned franchise is the fact that they sit bottom of the table, having lost the solitary game they have played so far, against NorthEast United. They will need to go from strength to strength if they are to overcome Chennaiyin FC in their own backyard. The Abhishek Bachchan co-owned franchise are in a rich vein of form, having usurped a win at heavily fancied FC Goa. The Chennai franchise know that another win will help them maintain their 100% record which would cut the lead to table toppers, Atletico de Kolkata, to only a point. The Blasters, on the other hand, know that another poor performance after their lackadaisical opening game cannot be repeated if they are to stand a chance of closing the gap on the rest of the pack. Meanwhile, Chennai have added firepower to their attack by acquiring the signatures of Cameroonian and former Manchester United midfielder Eric Djemba-Djemba alongside Haitian and former Paris-Saint Germain forward Jean-Eudes Maurice. Whether they will feature in Tuesdays game is unconfirmed. The Chennaiyin fans will however, have to be patient with regards to seeing the duo in action, as they are yet to arrive in India. However, the double deal comes in the wake of the imminent departures of Swedish midfielder Pierre Tillman and Spanish striker Eduardo Silva Lerma who will leave Chennaiyin FC due to technical issues with their contracts. Kerala have no changes to the squad at their disposal. David James, who started between the sticks for the Kerala outfit against the north eastern side, was outstanding to keep the scoreline only at 1-0 at the end of the 90 minutes. Again, there will be a huge responsibility on the shoulders of the marquee player-cum-manager to keep the Chennai attack at bay. And it also remains to be seen whether his counterpart Marco Materazzi would feature in the matchday squad for the hosts . The Chennai side will also rest on the brilliance of their marquee player Elano Blumer, who scored a sublime freekick in the eventual 2-1 win against the team from Goa. All eyes will be on the playmaker as the crowd will be roaring his name in tandem. What is also a boon for the Chennai-based team is the form of Blawant Singh in front of goal, scoring carrying his rich productivity in front of goal for the Mariners, to his ISL team as well. Jeje Lalpekhlua made a subsitute appearance in the last game, but it is expected that he will be given start at some point in the torunament. Whether it is this game remains to be seen. Him and Balwant do forge an enticing array of attacking Indian talent in the Blues side. Also, Denson Devadas will be the Indian player to watch out for, as he played a monumental role in his teams victory against FC Goa. Fans and teammates alike will be hoping for him to put the same kind of shift against the legions of Kerala. There are no injuries or suspension in either side as both the teams will field their full-strength starting eleven in a bid to amass all the three points in the 7 pm kickoff on Tuesday. Kerala, who will be playing their second away game on the trot, will have to address their wastefulness upfront if they are to stand any chance against this Chennai side that became the first team to win an away game in the ISL. However, as reports stream in, the fate of the match hangs in the balance as rains have wrecked havoc on the coastal city of Chennai. Water levels seem knee high, as the pitch at the Jawaharlal Nehru stadium, hosting its first football match in nearly six years after Chinese Taipei visited India, seems to have been heavily affected by the incessant rain, that has also seen most of Chennaiyins practice sessions washed out. This has left them queasy as they feel match fitness will be an issue. If the downpour continues, the chances of the tie thus being called off are very high, in which case a point will be shared between both teams. If the match does carry on however, Chennayin FC, roared on by ferocious tens of thousands of fans at the Jawaharlal Nehru stadium, are at a vantage point and the psychological advantage will certainly carry them forward. Whether they can make it count, regardless of being heavy favourites, remains to be seen.
Posted on: Tue, 21 Oct 2014 08:37:31 +0000