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With the momentum of two back-to-back wins firmly behind them, Delhi Dynamos FC are expected to put in a strong performance when they face champions Chennaiyin FC in their next home game at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in New Delhi tonight.
Delhi Dynamos head coach Gianluca Zambrotta would expect his players to repeat the performance they put in against Chennaiyin FC in their earlier match-up, comfortably cruising to a 3-1 victory in Chennai. The Lions will be hoping to consolidate on their strong positioning in the table, currently sitting at the second spot with a match in hand.
At the pre-match press conference, Coach Zambrotta reiterated on the need to continue to focus hard saying, “Tomorrow will be a strong match against a very good team. It will surely be a great challenge and we’ll try to do our best. The great thing is that there are no injury concerns and all the players are available one hundred percent.”
Visibly happy with the way his strikers are performing at the moment, the coach added, “We are coming off two great matches that we won and we are getting better day by day. We have to remember that our focus and our target is to make it to the playoffs as soon as possible.”
Delhi Dynamos had defeated Kerala Blasters FC 2-0 in their previous game of the campaign, with Kean Lewis and Marcelinho getting on to the scoresheet in that match.
Speaking about the importance of momentum for a team that is doing well on the pitch, Zambrotta said, “In the two matches that we won, I’m most happy about the way we obtained the wins. I think we played a great tactical game, constructed nicely and also created a lot of opportunities.”
The dominating display saw the Lions rise to the top of the table, for the first time in Hero Indian Super League 2016. The team continued its dominating style of play, controlling the proceedings and creating chances at will.
When asked about squaring up against his world cup winning teammate Marco Materazzi, Zambrotta quipped, “It will be a nice experience in the match-up against Marco.”
“Their team has only one world cup winner, while we have two – me and Simone Barone”, he added jokingly.
The coach, yet again, played a master-stroke in his starting line-up. Giving Marcelinho and Kean Lewis starting spots made his intent for victory clear, and his attacking wingers did not disappoint him, both scoring in the second-half. Marcelinho, who scored his fifth goal in the league, has become the joint highest scorer in the league and has been one of the key players in the glorifying journey of the Delhi Dynamos. The creative winger said after the previous game, “I’ve always tried to do the best for the team and what the coach asks me to do. I’m really happy to score these goals for the team.”
Delhi Dynamos look to be peaking at the right time. Having got four draws and one defeat in the five games prior to their win against FC Goa, the team did look convincing but converting chances were a problem. In the last two games though, the strikers and attacking wingers have done their bit, scoring four goals.
Indian defender and Delhi Dynamos regular Anas Edathodika was the man of the match for the second match running after his terrific performances in the defensive half. The Kerala-born player broke a lot of opposition attacks and was rock solid in the backline. Putting in yet another strong performance, Anas has made the left centre-back position his own and has proven why he deserves to start every game.
Chennaiyin FC currently sit fourth on the table coming off a 1-1 draw against Pune City FC. The Marco Materazzi side has played a game less and will be looking to make their presence felt against the team which handed them a defeat in the earlier stages of the tournament. Chennaiyin FC has always performed well in the business end of the league in the first two seasons and it will be critical for Delhi Dynamos to play to its strengths.
The coach would expect his players to go out and get the three points to get back to the top of the league table. The coach knows that these home games are crucial, as they play three of their last four league games away. Gianluca Zambrotta knows his side has easily been one of the best teams this season, creating 47 chances in 8 games, and would be asking his boys to be ruthless and efficient for the third game running.
