Chennaiyin FC and FC Goa, two of Indian Super League (ISL)’s oldest sides go head-to-head in the third quarter-final of the Durand Cup 2023 on Saturday at the Indira Gandhi Athletic Stadium in Guwahati. 

The two sides have played out some stunning matches in ISL history including finals, semi-finals and some of the most thrilling league stage matches over the years and will look to write the next chapter in their rivalry in the Durand Cup when they meet on Saturday. 

Chennaiyin FC and FC Goa have fielded their strongest possible sides in the Durand Cup and will be keen to outdo the other and take another step towards the title. 

The Super Machans have the upper hand when it comes to the head-to-head record between the two teams having won 13 out of the 24 encounters between the two teams with the Gaurs tasting success on nine occasions. 

However, recent meetings have favoured FC Goa who have won three out of the last five meetings between the two sides. 

Chennaiyin FC’s road to the quarter-finals

Owen Coyle’s side have a perfect record in the Durand Cup so far winning all three matches in the group stage, becoming the only team apart from Mumbai City FC to achieve this feat this season. 

Chennaiyin FC began the tournament with a come-from-behind 3-1 win over Hyderabad FC before getting the better of Tribhuvan Army (3-0) and Delhi FC (2-1) to end the group stage with a perfect record. 

Rafael Crivellaro who returned to the club in the summer is the team’s top goalscorer with two goals to his name so far but key players like Connor Shields, Jordan Murray and Farukh Choudhary have all got on the scoresheet for Chennaiyin FC. 

FC Goa’s road to the quarter-finals

FC Goa have been at their free-flowing best in the Durand Cup scoring eleven goals in their three group games. Only Mumbai City FC have scored more goals than Manolo Marquez’s men and will present Chennaiyin FC with their toughest test in the Durand Cup so far. 

A 6-0 win over Shillong Lajong and a 3-0 success over Downtown Heroes sandwiched a battling 2-2 draw against NorthEast United FC, a team FC Goa would like to join in the semi-finals. 

Noah Sadaoui is the team’s top goalscorer so far with four goals. New signings Carlos Martinez and Rowlling Borges have both bagged a couple of goals each. 

New regimes seek early boost

The quarter-final clash between these two teams thus offers both the new head coaches the perfect tonic ahead of the ISL season as a victory in this fixture could give the winning side just about enough momentum to go all the way in the tournament. 

After busy summers, Chennaiyin FC and FC Goa will be keen to prove their credentials and take a big step towards silverware. 

Match Details

Fixture: Chennaiyin FC vs FC Goa, Durand Cup quarter-final

Venue: Indira Gandhi Athletic Stadium, Guwahati

Time: 6:00 PM IST

Telecast: Sony TEN 2 HD, Sony TEN 2, Sony LIV (Live streaming)

Related tags:

Chennaiyin FCFC Goa Rafael Schuler CrivellaroNoah Sadaoui