Margao (Goa), April 19 (IANS): With a direct qualification to the semifinals hanging in the balance, FC Goa will battle it out with Chennaiyin FC in a high-stakes knockout clash at the iconic Fatorda Stadium on Saturday as the Indian Super League (ISL) 2023-24 playoffs reach a fever pitch.
With their dream of winning the title at stake, both teams are gearing up for a battle that promises to be hard-fought and exhilarating.
FC Goa entered the fixture on the back of an impressive run (45 points from their 22 matches), having secured victories in four out of their last five matches. Their commanding performance against Chennaiyin FC in their recent encounter, where they emerged triumphant with a 4-1 scoreline, underscores their current form and confidence.
Contrastingly, Chennaiyin FC, despite experiencing a setback in their previous fixture against FC Goa, have demonstrated resilience throughout the season. With wins in three of their last five matches, they are poised to bounce back and pose a formidable challenge to their opponents.
FC Goa always fare well against Chennaiyin FC, having won five of their last six matches against them, and keeping a clean sheet in four of those victories. The Gaurs have found the back of the net in each of their previous 14 matches against the Marina Machans, and only against Kerala Blasters FC do have a longer active scoring streak, i.e. of 19 games.
FC Goa now have won four matches in a row, and their last longer run like this was a stretch of five encounters from January to February 2020. Their 52 strikes against Chennaiyin FC are the most goals that a team has netted against any opposition in the ISL.
They put up an absolute show in the last match, and one can expect similar fireworks, or at least intent to pull off the same in the forthcoming fixture as well.
On the other hand, before their defeat in the last game against the Gaurs, Chennaiyin FC had scored at least two goals or more in each of their three prior matches in the ISL. Chennaiyin FC have often brought their A-game to the table in the knockouts, having won six playoff matches in the tournament, which is the joint-highest amongst all teams along with Bengaluru FC (6).
Before his latest 4-1 loss, the Scottish manager held only a 20%-win rate against Marquez, which suggests that the latter has devised a way to unlock Coyle’s team consistently over the last few years. The Marina Machans might rely on their frontline to push FC Goa back in the coming match. For instance, Jordan Murray has won 5.15 duels per match, and his contributions in the coming contest will be vital to determining Chennaiyin FC’s prospects too.
In the overall head-to-head series, the two teams have played 26 matches of which FC Goa have won 15 while Chennaiyin have won nine with two matches ending in draws.