Chennaiyin FC will be gunning for maximum points when they go up against FC Goa at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Goa on Thursday. The southerners were involved in a disappointing 1-1 draw against Delhi Dynamos FC in their last outing and currently occupy fourth spot in the Hero Indian Super League (ISL) 2017-18 table, four points above sixth-placed Goa.

Chennai’s head coach John Gregory believes playing a top side like Goa will bring out the best from his players – a recurrent theme this season. “We have tended to play much better this season against better teams. Against the teams who are on the top half of the table, we have tended to play our best football and got victories. We won in Bengaluru, in Jamshedpur and also in Pune. So, we’ve played very well on the road. With some of the lesser teams, we have not played as well as we should have done. Against NorthEast (United FC) we lost, against Delhi we have drawn both the matches and we also drew away to Kerala (Blasters FC), when they were a much lower team (in the table) than what they are now. Hence, we haven’t played better against some of the lesser teams, but we have always managed to play well against the top teams and in the big matches,” he told reporters at the pre-match press conference.

Gregory continued: “So in this game against Goa, we know how big it is and how important it is for both the teams. It’s very important that we get something from the game, whether it’s one point or three. We will obviously try for the three. At this stage of the season, both teams can’t afford to slip-up because teams like Jamshedpur in particular, and Kerala have managed to get their seasons back on track. So, it’s a very very important match for us against Goa. There have been some great games amongst the two teams over the years. Though I was not there to witness them all, but I saw them later on TV. It has always been goals between the two teams, so I am expecting quite a few goals tomorrow night. I just hope we score more than Goa.”

The 2015 winners began their Hero ISL 2017-18 campaign by conceding thrice in the first half of their season opener against the Gaurs. They came back strongly in the second period to make it 3-2 at full-time and Gregory insisted that the first half against Goa was a big lesson for his side. “The first 45 minutes was also a big lesson for myself. We started with a system, though shaping the team wasn’t working. We had to do something and change things rapidly during the halftime break and we obviously played a much better 45-minutes. After that first 45 minutes, we have been on an exceptionally good run. Winning more games and stacking up the points. From a disastrous first 45-minutes, we went on to have a great period of 5-6 matches which elevated us into a playoff position. So, yes, it was a big lesson,” he said.

The Englishman added: “I think Goa, after that game against us, was fantastic. They continued their good opening form for a couple of months, though recently, in the last month or so, they have suffered a bit. Like us, they have not won matches one would expect them to win. When they went to NorthEast in Avram Grant’s first game (in charge of the Highlanders), we expected Goa to win there but they face an upset. They have suffered a little bit like we have when they have played teams in the lower half of the table. We have not always performed as well as we should and they probably have done the same, but currently, both of us are trying to gain that top form. We have a few games left and they’re playing sort of catch-up and so are we. It’s an incredibly difficult period for us. We have faced five matches in 17 days, which is really really difficult, I have to say. But if we get three points tomorrow night, it will all be worthwhile.”

When asked how Chennai would cope with Goa’s formidable attacking players, Gregory opined: “Well, we have built our team around a strong defence. That was when we did the recruitment back in summer. We brought in three foreigners in the defence and they have been a solid rock for us this season. We have managed to win a couple of games by a single goal and it's down to the way our foreign defenders have stood out. Goa, of course, build their team on the attacking strength. They have a lot of foreigners in the attacking four, so they are probably more exciting to watch than we are because of the natural ability their foreign players have. So, it’s a big test for both teams tomorrow night. They want to show that they are a good attacking force, and we want to prove that we are a good defensive force. One team has to win, I suppose, so that rests with us.”