Chennaiyin FC will look to bounce back from their heartbreaking last game loss when they take on Odisha FC in the Indian Super League (ISL) here on Saturday. Chennaiyin saw their unbeaten record broken in the last game against Mumbai City. The Boidar Bandovic-coached side are fifth in the points table with eight points from five games and a win on Saturday can take them to third place.
The side with the best defensive record in the league so far have struggled to find the back of the net and that is something Bandovic has to work on. Chennaiyin are creating a lot of shots but are struggling to put the ball in the back of the net. Odisha FC, on the other hand, have been efficient in maximising the little they create. The presence of players like Aridai Cabrera, Javi Hernandez, who possess good shooting technique, helps the side.
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Slavko Damjanovic has emerged as the defensive leader in Chennaiyin’s setup under new coach Bandovic. The 29-year-old defender uses his 1.89m frame to his best advantage in aerial situations. The likes of Igor Angulo, Bartholomew Ogbeche and Roy Krishna found it difficult to come up against Damjanovic in one-on-one situations because of the Serbian’s strength and defensive ability. Odisha, on the other hand, are placed one rung above Chennaiyin at fourth position. It has been a dream start to the season for them after finishing rock-bottom last season. But a heavy 0-4 defeat at the hands of Jamshedpur FC have laid bare their defensive woes.
The Kalinga Warriors conceded 44 goals in 20 ISL games in 20-21 season finishing with the worst defensive record in ISL. They have improved marginally under new coach Kiko Ramirez, but as seen against Jamshedpur, they still find it hard to cope against good attacking sides with their defence not holding their fort too well. For Odisha, Aridai has grown into an important player despite not starting in Odisha’s opening two games. Aridai has scored three times already and his impressive performances in the first two games made him a guaranteed starter.
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