After draws in their last Hero Indian Super League (Hero ISL) 2020-21 outings, both ATK Mohun Bagan and Chennaiyin FC will be itching for a win when the two sides clash at the Fatorda Stadium on Thursday. The Kolkata giants have failed to register a win in their last two outings, while the Marina Machans have lost just one of their last eight games. The two-time champions though have been involved in plenty of draws this season and will be keen on getting a win to move up the standings, Here, we discuss some of the talking points ahead of the game that could influence the clash between the teams.

Goal-scoring struggles for both teams

When the two teams meet on Thursday, it will be interesting to see which side looks to take the game to the opposition. Both teams haven’t been very clinical and efficient in front of goal so far but have different issues as far as their lack of goals is concerned. ATK Mohun Bagan’s shyness in front of goal can be put down to a lack of creativity and failure to create many chances. They’ve netted 11 times this season having created just 81 chances – the least in Hero ISL 2020-21 by any team. Chennaiyin, on the other hand, have created 135 chances this season but a lack of ruthlessness has seen them score just 10 times so far. Thursday’s contest may well be decided by who takes their chances in a more efficient manner.

Roy Krishna’s dip in form

After netting five times in ATK Mohun Bagan’s first six matches, the Fijian striker has managed to find the back of the net just once in the last five games. Unsurprisingly, his dip in form has coincided with the Mariners’ failure to pick up those slender wins that we had become accustomed to at the start of the campaign. Having said that, it’s also worth noting that a lack of service to Krishna in the final third has hindered his performance. The Mariners must look to get him the ball in dangerous areas of the pitch. The fact that he’s had just seven shots from inside the box and only one on target in ATK Mohun Bagan’s last five games paints a fair picture of the Kolkata club’s struggles to get the ball to their talisman in threatening areas.

Chennaiyin’s defence keeping them within an arm’s length of top four

With Nerijus Valskis now a part of Jamshedpur FC and Esmael Goncalves being Chennaiyin’s leading goal-scorer with just three goals so far, it’s safe to say that their offence hasn’t always covered themselves in glory in the ongoing campaign. However, their defence has done their job well and is the third best in the league having conceded 12 goals – most of which have come in the second half. They have kept five clean sheets this season and have defended resolutely to overcome some of their shortcomings up front. Their backline will once again need to be at their best as they look to register a second clean sheet against ATK Mohun Bagan in Hero ISL 2020-21.