The defending champions Chennaiyin FC begin their Hero Indian Super League (ISL) title defence away at the Sree Kanteerava Stadium in Bengaluru against their 2017-18 fellow finalists Bengaluru FC on Sunday. The Marina Machans have retained much of their squad from last season, who would be gearing up to retain the crown in 2018-19 under title-winning head coach John Gregory.

The Englishman was present to address the media ahead of his club’s season opener. Chennaiyin have a better head-to-head record and won on both occasions when they visited Bengaluru’s fortress last season, but Gregory emphasized that the match was not going to be an easy one. “I think we had the ability to come here and win both matches last season. We came here and won, so obviously, it (the ground) evokes good memories for us. In that aspect, it’s been a lucky ground for us. Although it’s only two matches, but we won both, so we come here without any fear.”

He further continued, “A lot of respect for Bengaluru, for what they achieved in their first season was outstanding. There’s a lot of respect, but we aren’t afraid of coming here. It throws up a fantastic opening game for both teams. They obviously won’t have fond memories of March 2017 this year and they will be trying to correct that score and correct that occasion. But we have had a good pre-season and everyone’s in good shape.”

Gregory also stressed that though they were the reigning champions and a lot of expectations were riding on the team, the pressure in the camp was minimal. “No, my players are not under any pressure, whatsoever. I tell my players to relax and enjoy the football they’re playing as much as they can. Obviously, when you’re winning matches you enjoy much more and they certainly enjoyed last season and the rewards that came. But they did a lot of hard work that went into last season.”

When asked if Chennaiyin was planning to employ a different footballing style from last year, the 63-year-old replied, “Our style is not going to change that much. We are an organized team and an organized bunch. We will work hard for one another. The prerequisite for every game is that you have to work hard for 90 minutes and you don’t let your teammates down. We didn’t have the best players last year, but had the best team. Our style won’t be too dissimilar from last year. We got a couple of additions, that will try and force their way into the team and put the pressure ahead of the starters. But, hopefully, the style won’t change that much and hopefully, the outcome will remain the same.”

Before signing off, Gregory also appreciated the fan support Chennaiyin receive during away matches, something which he was extremely thankful for. “It’s always good to have fans. When they support you, you are more motivated. If you look at the league table last season, the four teams that finished in the top four had better away records than they did at home. We are fortunate that we have fans that travel. It creates a fantastic atmosphere. We enjoy the banter between the fans, as long as it stays as banter. It creates a great atmosphere and certainly, in the last two games we played here (in Bengaluru), we had a great following that came here and we hope to reward them this time too.”