Delhi, Chennaiyin in search of season’s first victory

Delhi Dynamos FC will host defending champions Chennaiyin FC in their second home match of the 2018-19 campaign of the Hero Indian Super League (ISL) at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in New Delhi on Tuesday.

All eyes will be on the Marina Machans, who have suffered their worst start to a league campaign, facing defeats in all of their three encounters this season, something that head coach John Gregory needs to be worried about. On the other hand, the Lions, while collecting a couple of points at the hands of Kerala Blasters and FC Pune City, are still on the search of their first victory under new head coach Josep Gombau.

DELHI DYNAMOS

For all of their possession in the final third of the half, the Lions have had an abysmal record with regards to shot accuracy, which has been the root cause of their unproductivity in front of goal. The Dynamos were relatively toothless in attack and had to rely on a scrappy finish from Andrija Kaludjerovic to salvage a point against Kerala. Gombau will need to address his striker’s concerns if he hopes to get his side ticking soon.

The midfield pairing of Gianni Zuiverloon and Rene Mihelic will have to start moving the ball quicker to the likes of Lallianzuala Chhangte and Romeo Fernandes to penetrate the Chennaiyin defence. In defence, Pritam Kotal and Rana Gharami have done a commendable job so far, but will still be on the lookout for their first clean sheet of the season.

Here’s a look at Delhi’s current season in numbers:

CHENNAIYIN FC

Gregory and Co. find themselves in dire straits, as they remain the only side in the league, who have failed to achieve a single point so far. Despite maintaining the majority of players from their title-winning team, Chennaiyin have looked like a disjointed outfit. Pressure will be mounting on the Englishman to come up with a quick solution in order to mount a successful defence to their Hero ISL crown.

Considered as their primary asset from last season, Chennaiyin’s defence has surprisingly been their Achilles heel this time around. The veteran pair of Inigo Calderon and Mailson Alves need to step up to the plate and lead their side from the back. Similarly, Anirudh Thapa and Raphael Augusto need to find their form from last season in order to aid the likes of Carlos Salom and Jeje Lalpekhlua upfront. No side has lost the first four fixtures of the season before and Chennaiyin will be going out all guns blazing to ensure they don’t acquire the unwanted record.

Here’s a look at Chennaiyin’s current season in numbers:

PROBABLE LINE-UPS:

Delhi Dynamos: Francisco Dorronsoro (GK), Pritam Kotal (C), Rana Gharami, Marti Crespi, Narayan Das, Gianni Zuiverloon, Rene Mihelic, Vinit Rai, Romeo Fernandes, Lallianzuala Chhangte, Andrija Kaludjerovic

Chennaiyin FC: Karanjit Singh (GK), Inigo Calderon, Eli Sabia, Mailson Alves (C), Jerry Lalrinzuala, Anirudh Thapa, Isaac Vanmalsawma, Thoi Singh, Raphael Augusto, Francisco Fernandes, Carlos Salom

DID YOU KNOW?

Chennaiyin have lost their opening three matches in a row. If they lose against Delhi, they will become the first team to lose their opening four Hero ISL encounters.
Chennaiyin have conceded eight goals so far, five of which came in the first half. It’s currently the joint-highest goals conceded in the first half, along with NorthEast United FC.
Delhi have their best record against Chennaiyin. They have scored the most number of goals against Chennaiyin (17) over the seasons, and in eight matches, they have lost just once against the Marina Machans.

FANSPEAK?

Which team will bag their first victory of the season?