Chennaiyin FC head coach Marco Materazzi made light of the absence of his key players from the line-up as the league leaders take on Mumbai City FC at the DY Patil Stadium in Navi Mumbai on Sunday evening. Marquee player Elano Blumer, ace forward John Stiven Mendoza and defensive stalwart Gouramangi Singh will miss Sunday’s match due to injuries sustained in the previous match.Revealing the news at the pre-match press conference, the Italian player-manager said, “I can confirm that (their absence) 100 per cent.” He also expressed ignorance about when the trio would be back in action. “Only God knows. We will need more time to assess the injuries, but as of now I do not know,” he quipped.Materazzi opined that his team were not too worried about the fact that their key goal scoring talents will be missing against a strong Mumbai City defence, “Last time, we beat them 5-1 but they have tightened up since that defeat. I feel Mumbai is a very strong team but we are not too bad ourselves,” he suggested with a smile.When asked whether he was troubled by the fact that his side had conceded 12 goals so far, Materazzi replied, “If someone would have given me a paper stating that we would be occupying the top spot in the league having conceded 12 goals and scored 17, I would have signed that paper then and there and taken it.” The 2006 World Cup winner also stressed that he was happy that his team had developed into a unit and were playing for each other, “One of the positives that I have seen is that the injuries have had no effect on the squad. Hopefully Jeje (Lalpekhlua), Balwant (Singh) and Jayesh (Rane) will be able to deliver for us tomorrow. We need to show them respect as players and for their talent,” Materazzi said. The ex-Inter Milan star also stated he was not concerned about results as long as the unity in his squad shone through, “I am not concerned about the result. Whether we win, lose or draw, we will do so as a team and I am proud of that.”Local lad and Chennai forward Jayesh Rane who was also in attendance, said that he was looking forward to the game, “It feels great to be back home. I am really excited about tomorrow. If I get an opportunity to play, I shall make sure that I grab it with both hands,” he declared.
