Chennaiyin vs ATK Mohun Bagan: Preview and Prediction
Chennaiyin and ATK Mohun Bagan will lock horns in ‘Match 105’ of the 2021-22 Indian Super League season at the Fatorda Stadium on Thursday. The Marina Machans are out of the semi-final race and have nothing to play for but pride, while the Mariners may or may not grind a result out in this game, depending on the outcome of the match between Kerala Blasters and Mumbai City.
After a brilliant start that once saw them occupying pole position in the standings, Chennaiyin has had a horrendous second half of the competition. With 20 points from 19 matches, they are placed in the eighth position.
On the other hand, ATK Mohun Bagan has accumulated 34 points from 18 matches, which has placed them in the third position. Their semi-final tickets will be confirmed even before this game commences if Mumbai City can beat Kerala Blasters on Wednesday, but if the result goes in Tuskers’ favour, the Mariners will aim to secure at least one point from this match.
Current Form
The stark difference in the current form of these two teams paints an accurate picture of how their campaigns have gone so far. ATK Mohun Bagan is one of the two teams to have remained unbeaten in their last five matches, whilst Chennaiyin is among the two sides who have not won any of their previous five encounters.
The Mariners are coming into this match on the back of a 2-0 triumph over Bengaluru. It was an immensely important victory since before meeting the Blues, Juan Ferrando’s men were held to consecutive stalemates by Odisha and Kerala Blasters.
Not much has gone in the Marina Machans’ way over the last few weeks, as they have picked up only a solitary point from their last three fixtures. Syed Subir Pasha’s team will come into this clash after losing their last couple of encounters.
They were handed a 3-0 drubbing by Kerala Blasters in their previous match, whilst Jamshedpur registered a 4-1 victory against them in the preceding game. Before these two losses, however, the two-time champions drew 2-2 against Odisha.
Head to Head Record
Albeit by a narrow margin, ATK Mohun Bagan holds the upper hand when it comes to head-to-head records. They have won one of the three meetings against Chennaiyin, with the other two ending in stalemates.
One of those two stalemates was played out earlier this season, where the two teams shared the spoils in a 1-1 affair. Liston Colaco’s strike gave Ferrando’s team an early lead, but a Vladimir Koman strike helped the Marina Machans rescue a point.
Team News
Roy Krishna is likely to be reinstated in the ATK Mohun Bagan starting XI
Pasha is likely to make four changes to the team that lost 3-0 against Kerala Blasters. Ariel Borysiuk will be available for selection after serving his one-game suspension. The Polish midfielder could slot back in his midfield position at the expense of Germanpreet Singh.
Another overseas player in Slavko Damjanovic is also likely to be reinstated in the starting XI by Pasha, with Narayan Das making way for the Serbian defender. Besides that, Ninthoinganba Meetei and Suhail Pasha could come in for Jobby Justin and Rahim Ali respectively.
Ferrando would ideally have preferred to field the same starting XI that won 2-0 against Bengaluru, but he could be forced to make one change. French-Moroccan midfielder Hugo Boumou sustained an injury in the last match and had to be substituted.
He might not recover in time for this match, but thankfully for the Mariners, their talismanic striker Roy Krishna will be available after serving his one-game suspension. The Fiji international is likely to lead the lines, with Ashutosh Mehta filling up Boumous’ place in the middle.
Predicted Starting Lineups
Chennaiyin (4-1-4-1): Vishal Kaith; Edwin Sydney Vanspaul, Deepak Devrani, Slavko Damjanovic, Jerry Lalrinzuala; Ariel Borysiuk; Ninthoinganba Meetei, Vladimir Koman, Anirudh Thapa, Suhail Pasha; Lukasz Gikiewicz.
ATK Mohun Bagan (4-3-3): Amrinder Singh; Pritam Kotal, Sandesh Jhingan, Tiri, Subhasish Bose; Ashutosh Mehta, Carl McHugh, Joni Kauko; Manvir Singh, Roy Krishna, Liston Colaco.
Prediction
ATK Mohun Bagan is way ahead of their opposition in every aspect, be it the current form or squad strength. Accordingly, we have predicted a 2-0 scoreline in favor of the Mariners.