The second eliminator, between FC Goa and Chennaiyin FC, to be held on Saturday, 20th April, will close out what has been a breathless week in Indian club football. Earlier in the week, Mohammedan lifted the I-League, Sporting Club Bengaluru conquered the I-League 2, and Mohun Bagan jousted Mumbai City for the ISL Shield. By the end of Saturday, the ISL semi-final matchups will also be set, with Goa and Chennai competing for the final semi-final berth opposite Mumbai City.
Recent form of FC Goa and Chennaiyin FC
FC Goa will come into this crucial fixture on a high. Not only are the Gaurs hosting, in recognition of their superior seed, but are also hoping to continue their 4-match win streak. The Goans are in such good form that their supersession of Mohun Bagan for second position was on the cards until the Mariners’ final-day victory.
The Marina Machans have come a long way, from being 11th in the table on March 31st to competing for a spot in the semi-final three weeks later. They too are a confident outfit, having won three of their last four games. The loss, however, was a convincing one away at Goa last Sunday. Chennai certainly came off worse in that outing, as they squandered an early lead and had leftback Sachu Siby sent off. But, Owen Coyle did not employ his best team on that occasion, keeping players with suspension risks on the bench, and remains positive about his team’s chances in the eliminator.
Team News
To the great pleasure of both coaches, neither team has any recent injuries to report. The Gaurs will continue to be without Sandesh Jhingan and Victor Rodriguez, both of whom have been nursing long-term injuries.
For the visitors, Sachu Siby will be inactive following his sending off last weekend. Meanwhile, Ankit Mukherjee has served his one-match suspension, for accumulating four yellow cards over the course of the season, and is available for selection.
Predicted Lineup for FC Goa
Goalkeeper: Dheeraj Singh
Defenders: Boris Thangjam, Odei Onaindia, NM Tamang, Jay Gupta
Midfielders: Brandon Fernandes, Carl McHugh, Borja Herrera, Mohammad Yasir
Forwards: Carlos Martinez
Predicted Lineup for Chennaiyin FC
Goalkeeper: Debjit Majumder
Defenders: Ryan Edwards, Ankit Mukherjee, Aakash Sangwan, Bikash Yumnam
Midfielders: Jiteshwor Singh, Connor Shields, Rafael Crivellaro, Farukh Choudhary, Vincy Baretto
Forwards: Jordan Murray
Match Prediction
Goa and Chennaiyin have met so often in the ISL knockout stages that the fixture has built itself an exciting reputation. The Gaurs have featured in fourteen ISL knockout games, the most among any team in the competition, and five of those encounters have been against Chennai. The most famous of those meetings is undoubtedly the 2015 ISL final, which saw Chennai stun a capacity Fatorda crowd thanks to Stiven Mendoza’s injury-time heroics.
While Chennaiyin has the better record against Goa in the ISL playoffs, the Gaurs did do the double over their opposition in the league this season. Playing at home, and being in riveting form, FC Goa will be the favourites on paper. Players to look out for are Nada Sadaoui and Carlos Martinez, who have netted ten goals each.
On the other hand, Owen Coyle’s men did the improbable to beat out the many teams contesting for that sixth spot and there is no saying they cannot keep surprising. Rafael Crivellaro’s prolific playmaking ability will be crucial to get behind Goa’s defense, which is the joint-best in the ISL with nine clean sheets. At the other end, Debjit Majumder will have to be extra alert in goal to keep out Goa’s attacking firepower, which has created the most chances in the league.
Telecast Details
The second eliminator between FC Goa and Chennaiyin FC will be televised on Sports18 TV and VH1 on April 20th at 7:30 PM IST. Live streaming can be accessed through the Jio Cinema App.
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