Rejuvenated by the recent reverses faced by long-time leader Minerva Punjab FC, East Bengal will be looking to pick up full points when it meets relegation-threatened Chennai City FC in an I-League fixture at home here at the Salt Lake Stadium on Saturday. East Bengal is currently placed third and needs to win all its remaining matches while hoping Minerva, which is still three points ahead, falters again in its bid to claim the title.
The current standings put Minerva with the best chance while East Bengal is the nearest challenger. Minerva has 29 points from 15 matches while East Bengal has played the same number of matches garnering 26 points. The current leader NEROCA FC is on 31 points but has already played 17 matches.
“You have to think positively. We will be looking for a good start and change our strategy accordingly. Our opponents have a good side so our attitude should be about putting up an aggressive start,” East Bengal head coach Khalid Jamil put things in perspective. Having lost the last outing visiting Gokulam Kerala FC, East Bengal is desperately looking for a win to keep its title hopes on track.
For Chennai City, a point gained from the match will be helpful in allaying its relegation fears. The visitor, which currently eighth with 16 points from as many matches, will also be applying itself well to make a match out of it. “The pressure will be on Kingfisher East Bengal because they have chance to win the title. We are also facing relegation so our first job will be to win tomorrow. It will be a great season for us and the club if we manage to beat both Kolkata clubs away,” Chennai City gaffer V. Soundararajan said referring to the 2-1 win his team scored against Mohun Bagan while visiting the city (early in January).
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