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In Match 19, of the I-League, defending champions Chennai City FC return to their home ground in Coimbatore after a long away spell. Chennai City FC host NEROCA FC in the match tomorrow, December 21 at the Nehru Stadium, a team which has been struggling to find proper form.
Chennai City FC are currently placed seventh on the table with four points to their name from three matches (one win, one tie, and one loss). Whereas, NEROCA FC have garnered only three points with a solitary win and two losses, and are placed just below Chennai City FC on the table.
Chennai City FC who aren’t looking much of their original self in the season are presented with a major challenge of how to convert possession into goals. Despite dominating possession against Aizawl FC, Chennai City FC couldn’t manage to find the back of the net and had to settle with a point that came through a Roberto Eslava penalty. They also missed the services of Pedro Manzi in the last match, who was out due to injury and are trying to find the perfect combination to repeat last season’s magic.
Speaking before the match, Chennai City FC head coach Akbar Nawas said, “We want to win every game in the league. We never have the championship on our mind. It is better that we have that approach.”
He also added, “We won the league last year by the sheer grit and the way we played. It is for the other teams to follow suit. But we can’t expect the same thing to happen every time. We would have preferred having more continuity, but we are working with a new group and trying to ensure that we do our best.”
NEROCA FC also has had a tough run since the beginning of the season. First, going down against Gokulam Kerala FC and then a 1-4 loss against East Bengal. Their only win has come against Aizawl FC by a 1-0 margin where the defence was in under fire as captain Marvin Devon Phillip emerged Hero of the Match for his stellar performance in between the goalposts.
NEROCA FC captain Marvin Devon Phillip commented on the mood in the camp, saying, “The mood in the camp is great. Yes, we had a small break but during this time we have been working hard to go all out to get a positive result going into this game.”
He further said about their opponents, “We are aware that Chennai City FC were the champions last season, and they are a good team. They may have not had a good start we all know this that they aren’t to be taken for granted knowing that they are off to an indifferent start.”
