ISL 2024-25: Jordan Gil returns to former home as Chennaiyin FC eyes win against Punjab FC

Chennaiyin will have Laldinliana Renthlei back after a one-game suspension while Jiteshwor Singh has rejoined the squad after recovering from an injury.

Chennaiyin FC players during a practice session before their clash against Punjab FC at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in New Delhi. | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement

Chennaiyin FC will be looking for its third away win in Indian Super League (ISL) 2024-25 when it travels to New Delhi to take on Punjab FC at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium on Thursday.

The Marina Machans are unbeaten on the road this season, with two wins and a draw from their three away games.

Owen Coyle’s team enters the match following a 2-2 draw with FC Goa at home. A victory against Punjab could propel it to third place in the standings.

Although the coach is mindful of Punjab’s strong start to the season—it has won three out of four games, with its only loss coming away to Bengaluru FC in its latest game—he is confident that his side can maintain its momentum.

“It’s certainly going to be a tough game … We feel aggrieved to have lost a game in Delhi against Punjab last year. We scored three good goals which were all ruled out. That being said, we never played as well as we could but we were always a goal threat,” Coyle, who recently extended his contract with CFC until 2026, told the media during the pre-match press conference.

Chennaiyin FC head coach Owen Coyle interacting with players during a practice session ahead of their Indian Super League match. | Photo Credit: R. Ragu/The Hindu

So what we want to do is carry our good form into another tough away game, but we have done well on our travels this year and we want to do that again. We want to make sure that we are at our best.”

Chennaiyin will have Laldinliana Renthlei back after a one-game suspension while Jiteshwor Singh has rejoined the squad after recovering from an injury.

Ankit Mukherjee however will continue with his rehabilitation.

Punjab, on the other hand, made a very strong start to the season, winning its first three games of the season and was at the top of the table until its 0-1 loss to Bengaluru in its previous game.

An interesting subplot of the clash would be the return of Wilmar Jordan Gil to his former club’s home stadium.

The Colombian, who scored nine goals and assisted one more for Punjab last season has become a formidable forward for the Marina Machans in this campaign, scoring three goals in five matches so far.

The head-to-head record between the two sides is neatly balanced at one win a side and in two matches this game would allow either team to grab the bragging rights at the National capital.

Punjab FC’s head coach Panagiotis Dilmperis expressed confidence by saying that he wants his team to take the lead in setting the tempo of the game regardless of the ideas and plans that Chennaiyin FC comes up with.

“The main topic before us this season is that we want to make the opponents follow our style of play. That’s our biggest concern. Chennaiyin FC have good players and a good style of play but we want to follow our style,” Dilmperis said.

The match is scheduled for a 7:30 pm kick-off.