Baljit Sahni has started all three games for Chennaiyin FC in Hero Indian Super League 2016 so far and will once again have a big role to play on Thursday when the Super Machans face NorthEast United FC at the Indira Gandhi Athletic Stadium in Guwahati. The former Hero ISL winner with Atlético de Kolkata in the inaugural season has been in the thick of things for the southern-outfit this year having completed one block, three successful tackles, four clearances and five tackles in defence as well as an assist and two key passes in attack. The 29-year-old spoke to indiansuperleague.com ahead of Thursday’s clash against the Highlanders. Here are the excerpts from the interview.Your thoughts on the start to Chennaiyin’s title defence? You have won one, lost one and drawn one.As a footballer, you want to win every match but that’s football. Sometimes you settle for one point and sometimes you might even lose. So, as far as the three (previous) matches are concerned we have played good with the exception being the Delhi match when things didn’t go as we had planned.Chennai have never beaten NorthEast. Will that have any psychological bearing on Thursday’s match?That is the past you know and this is a new season and there are new players and we will try to beat NorthEast at home.NorthEast have the best defence in the league having conceded just twice in five matches. Any specific game plan to break down their defence?Not any specific game plan, it’s all up to the coach. Whatever he tells us, we will do in the game and we will try to put as much pressure as we can on their defence so that they concede.Emiliano Alfaro has been on a great run of form. How will Chennai look to neutralise him?I have seen some of their matches and he is good but if you let him do good things then he will do them otherwise I think if we mark him tightly he will not be able to do so and be of any harm.What do you think will the key factor for the game on Thursday?Key factor will be that if we play as a team then we will beat any team.What are your personal goals with Chennaiyin for the season?I am looking forward to scoring my first goal for Chennaiyin and hopefully I will score soon.
