After four straight away games in the 2015 Hero Indian Super League, Chennaiyin FC finally get to host a game, at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium on Saturday. Chennai’s first home game this season was against defending champions Atlético de Kolkata and on Saturday they will play in-form FC Pune City.

After suffering a 2-0 defeat by NorthEast United FC in their last match, Chennai will look to return to winning ways. FC Pune City, on the other hand, will look to displace FC Goa at the top of the table with a win.

Chennaiyin FC so far: L-L-W-W-L

FC Pune City so far: W-W-L-W

Head-to-Head: Chennaiyin FC have never lost to FC Pune City. Last year, they picked up these results: 1-1 (away) and 3-1 (home). Wonder boy Stiven Mendoza scored in both the matches.

Alessandro Potenza v Tuncay Sanli

This Italian defender has been one of head coach Marco Materazzi’s most entrusted lieutenants on the defence line. While the players up front engage in attacking football, Potenza and his men hold the fort and keep the opponents away from the box.

Right from the first match, Tuncay Sanli has been a force to reckon with for the Stallions. One of the top draws for FC Pune City this season, the Turkish striker has so far kept the opponent defenders in a fix.

Elano v Didier Zokora

With the Golden Boot last season, and his tally marked at two goals so far, Elano will be looking to lead the team to a big result. The Brazilian midfielder will surely hope to confound Didier Zokora and company with his pitch-perfect crosses and timely assists.

Meanwhile, Zokora’s plan would be to put out all the stops to ensure his team’s good run continues. The former Ivory Coast international has joined the Stallions as a defensive midfielder but does a lot more than that in building the spirit of the team.

Stiven Mendoza v Nicky Shorey

With five goals in this season of the Hero Indian Super League, Stiven Mendoza tops the goal-scorers’ table. FC Pune City should face a tough time keeping the swift Colombian striker out of bounds. For, he will surely be hungry for his sixth strike.

Having started and played throughout all four matches for the Stallions, it could be said that Nicky Shorey has been instrumental in FC Pune City’s successful run. However, on Saturday he will have to deal with the raucous Chennai crowds.

Marco Materazzi’s Chennaiyin FC will surely want to make their homecoming experience memorable with a top-notch performance. For David Platt and his boys, they have enjoyed a fairly successful run at home, barring the clash against Delhi Dynamos FC. With three wins out of four games, Pune will be the more confident side to enter the battle zone on Saturday.

Quotes:

We just wanted to rotate our players because this is a very compact league and we need to give a rest to the players. Yes, we didn’t get the result we expected. This time we will be playing with the team to get the three points: Chennaiyin FC assistant coach Vivek Nagul

They are a good side they seem settled. They have a manager with experience and that counts. There are players who can make a difference. We are aware of their strength and will treat them with the respect they deserve. They have strong players, who can make a difference: FC Pune City head coach David Platt

Squads:

Chennaiyin FC: Karanjit Singh, Nidhin Lal, Apoula Edel Bete, Éder Monteiro Fernandes, Justin Stephen, Bernard Mendy, Abhishek Das, Lalhmangaihsanga Ralte, L. Dhanachandra Singh, Mehrajuddin Wadoo, Mailson Alves, Alessandro Potenza, Dhanpal Ganesh, Elano Blumer (marquee player), Godwin Franco, Thoi Singh, Harmanjot Khabra, Raphael Augusto, Bruno Augusto Pelissari de Lima, Zakeer Mundampara, Manuele Blasi, Fikru Teferra Lamessa, Jayesh Rane, Jeje Lalpekhlua, Balwant Singh, John Stiven Mendoza Valencia

FC Pune City: Kalu Uche, Adrian Mutu (Marquee Player), Yendrick Ruiz, Wesley Verhoek, Tuncay Sanli, Didier Zokora, James Bailey, Jackichand Singh, Fanai Lalrempuia, Sushanth Mathew, Manish Maithani, Bikash Jairu, Israil Gurung, Eugeneson Lyngdoh, Lenny Rodrigues, Diego Colotto, Roger Johnson, Nicky Shorey, Govin Singh, Gourmangi Singh, Gurjinder Kumar, Pritam Kotal, Dharmaraj Ravanan, Steve Simonsen, Lalit Thapa, Arindam Bhattacharya

(The match starts 1900 IST and will be telecast on Start Sports 1/HD1/2/HD2/3/HD3)