There is little to separate Chennaiyin FC and FC Pune City as the two teams take the field at the Nehru Stadium here on Wednesday.
Both teams with three victories each, and with the host only a point ahead at 13 from eight matches, will fancy their chances. The teams’ previous match held in Pune ended in a 1-1 deadlock.
As the Indian Super League veers towards the home stretch, there are half-a-dozen teams vying for a spot in the last four.
More than Chennaiyin, it could be argued that it’s the visitor which is having a better run if one looks at the last four matches. While the host has drawn all, Pune has, to its credit, two wins and two draws, and will hope to maintain the momentum.
Chennaiyin has started all its last four ties with 4-3-1-2 formation and the results will not completely satisfy the player-cum manager Marco Materazzi. When asked on Tuesday whether he was disappointed with four successive draws, the Italian World Cupper said, “it is frustrating. But this is football; sometimes you win, other times you lose. But the good thing is we are at the top. We have six more finals (matches).”
The host’s defence will get a leg-up if defenders Bernard Mendy and Abhishek Das return from injuries. Materazzi was tight-lipped when asked whether they’ll start.
Pune, which has played with 4-4-2 formation in five of its eight matches, might like to adopt the same strategy with Dudu and Ivan Bolado up-front.
But it has been the team’s defence that has been the talking point with the Italian central defender Daniele Magliocchetti marshalling the resources. No doubt, it will have its hand full in dealing with one Elano, who is the league’s top-scorer with eight goals. Pune too has classy players such as midfielders Kostas Katsouranis, Jermaine Pennant and the Nigerian striker Dudu Omagbemi and not to forget its marquee player David Trezeguet.
