Welcome to Sportstar's highlights of this evening's FC Goa vs Chennaiyin FC clash of the Indian Super League (ISL 2021-22) played at the GMC Athletic Stadium in Bambolim, Goa.
This was Neeladri Bhattacharjee bringing you the pre-match buildup and minute-by-minute updates.
Match report :
9:17 pm: FC Goa and Chennaiyin FC have met 19 times in the past. FC Goa has won nine of them, while Chennaiyin FC has won eight, while the remaining have been draws.
8:50 pm: Here is what happened when the two sides met in the Indian Super League last season: ISL 2020-21 Chennaiyin FC vs GC Goa highlights
8:35 pm: Confirmed Line-ups!
FC Goa Starting XI: Naveen Kumar (GK), Anwar Ali, Seriton Fernandes, Ivan Gonzalez, Saviour Gama, Edu Bedia, Glan Martins, Aiban Dohling, Alberto Noguera and Muhammed Nemil and Jorge Ortiz
Chennaiyin FC Starting XI: Debjit Majumder (GK), Reagan Singh, Mohd Sajid Dhot, Slavko Damjanovic, Narayan Das, Jerry Lalrinzuala, Anirudh Thapa, Vladimir Koman,, Edwin Vanspaul, Mirlan Murzaev and Nerijus Valskis.
8:20 pm: Sportstar ACES Awardsare back! Please vote and share the voting page with your network and get them to vote too.
MATCH PREVIEW: ISL 2021-22: Chennaiyin aims second win on the trot against FC Goa
With just two points separating Chennaiyin FC - in sixth - from table-topper Hyderabad FC, the former will hope to pocket another three points against a struggling FC Goa at the GMC Athletic Stadium in Bambolim.
CFC ended a two-match losing streak with a 1-0 win over Jamshedpur FC last Sunday and will feel good going into Saturday’s fixture.
The team will also have the services of newly signed striker Nerijus Valskis who can provide much-needed attacking firepower in the final third of the pitch. The former champion has scored only nine goals so far, the lowest by any team in the tournament.
“Valskis will be available and Ariel Borysiuk will skip this game. He is feeling much better so we will see what will happen in the next few days and decide about the game on the thirteenth," said Bozidar Bandovic about the availability of his key foreign players.
RELATED: ISL 2021-22: Valskis relishing Chennaiyin return after "unhappy" spell at Jamshedpur
Goa, currently ninth in the table, comes into the fixture on the back of three draws and a loss in its last four fixtures and injuries to key players has meant it hasn’t scored a lot of goals either.
In the last match against Kerala Blasters FC, the team though showed resolve to come back from going down 2-0 under 25 minutes to salvage a draw and a point.
Coach Derrick Pereira though is aware that his side needs to start winning sooner rather than later if it hopes to have a chance to make the playoffs.
“In the last match, the start was not good conceding two goals but (Jorge) Ortiz’s goal gave us hope and Edu’s goal (Bedia) gave us belief that we can make it,” said Pereira.
“We had a very good second half and we need to carry on from there. We need to keep that composure upfront to finish and keep a clean sheet,” he added.
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