Match number 28 of the Hero Indian Super League sees hosts FC Pune City take on Chennaiyin FC at Pune’s Shree Shiv Chhatrapati Sports Complex in Pune in a battle for top spot. Pune lie third in the table, one spot and one point behind Chennai, and a win for either side would take them to first place in the league standings at the halfway point of the group stage.Pune go into the game on the back of a remarkable win away to Atlético de Kolkata, becoming the first team to inflict defeat on the current league leaders. For Chennai, this is the third consecutive game where they will go into the fixture knowing a win will take them to the top of the league. However, the previous two both ended in draws, and Chennai will be looking to get back to winning ways.Form Guide (most recent match first)FC Pune City: WWLWLChennaiyin FC: DDWLWDudu Omagbemi vs Mikaël SilvestreDudu has forced himself into the reckoning for a starting place, even with the anticipated return of marquee player David Trezeguet in the team after his performances against NorthEast and Kolkata. Against Kolkata, he played the part of a perfect front man, holding up play and using his physicality and speed to great effect, and also got a goal in the process. He will be up against Chennaiyin’s defensive mainstay, Mikaël Silvestre. Silvestre has been good for Chennaiyin, conceding just one foul, being the last man and allowing defensive partner Bernard Mendy to venture forward, but he and the rest of the Chennaiyin defence are yet to keep a clean sheet in the ISL. The Frenchman will have to bring in his experience of tackling tough forwards to stop Dudu from bossing Chennai’s defence around, and provide protection to his keeper.Lenny Rodrigues vs Elano BlumerLenny Rodrigues is going to have his hands full in this encounter as he comes up against Chennaiyin’s star playmaker Elano Blumer. Elano, who is the runaway top scorer in the league with eight goals (the next highest tally is three), has shown his prowess in set-piece play, and Rodrigues will look to mark him well and cleanly without giving away fouls on the edge of the box or giving him a chance to go from a distance. Elano will look to exploit pockets of space created by his pacy forwards Jeje Lalpekhlua and Stiven Mendoza drawing the defenders to them, and back himself to score again in the match, as he has done in all of them so far.Bruno Cirillo vs Jeje LalpekhluaBruno Cirillo has been brilliant in defence for Pune City, with an incredible 46 interceptions in the tournament so far, and is very rarely known to make mistakes. The tough tackling Italian’s positional sense and defensive organisation alongside defensive partner Daniele Magliochetti will face a real test when he comes up against Jeje Lalpekhlua and the Chennaiyin attack. Jeje has shown great composure and an eye for a killer pass in the games so far, and would like to add more goals to his name. The Mizo forward can easily beat defenders with his change in pace, and has a good long-range strike too. Players to watchFC Pune City Dharmaraj Ravanan -- Ravanan has played in all of Pune’s matches so far, whether starting the game or coming on as a substitute, and has been disciplined in defence. With his energy and endless running, he will look to provide another attacking channel down the flank to link up with Dudu, Trezeguet, Kostas, and the rest of the Pune City attack.Chennaiyin FC Stiven Mendoza -- The pacy Columbian comes with a reputation of leaving behind a trail of defenders whichever team he has played against. And with supply from Elano, he will be on the lookout to beat the offside trap time and again as he looks to increase his goal tally.Team SpeakFC Pune CityFranco Colomba (head coach): “We don’t look at players, we look at teams, and tomorrow, it’s Pune versus Chennai.”Chennaiyin FCMarco Materazzi (player and head coach): “We don’t have any special preparations, we’re going to play the same.”
