ISL: FC Pune City vs Chennaiyin FC - What we can expect

One of the main things that sets apart both Chennaiyin FC and FC Pune City, despite the fact that both of them have Italian managers, is their vastly different style of playing. While the player-manager led Chennaiyin under Marco Materazzi looks deep to find its inspiration and prefers to play an attacking game, Pune City under Franco Colomba looks to play an all-round game where the team works on creating chances on the counter.

Nevertheless it looks to be an interesting battle up front where the two teams play their seventh match of the Indian Super League (ISL) facing off against one another on Pune’s home turf. In match number 28 of the ISL, Pune take on Chennai in front of their home crowd.

With Chennaiyin sitting pretty in second position with 11 points and Pune in third with 10, there is all to play for here, with the winner going to the top of the league and toppling league leaders Atletico de Kolkata for the first time in the maiden season of the ISL.

Venue and Kick-off

Pune has played three games at home at the Shri Shiv Chhatrapati Sports Complex in Balewadi and has had a good record, winning two and losing one. The home team will be relying on its fans for the much needed twelfth man on the pitch.

Kick-Off: November 11 – 7:00 PM (IST)

Form Guide

Pune City can rely on its superb run of play in its last two games. Having played both Kolkata and NorthEast in its last two outings, they have come out victorious against both. While Pune scored a hard fought win over NorthEast in their last home encounter, they literally romped to a win in front of a stunned audience at the Salt Lake Stadium in Kolkata, handing the league leaders their first defeat.

If one sees the team’s body language on the field, there is a sense of belief in the manner in which they play. Sliding tackles, darting runs by the forwards and a number of crosses, attacks and counter-attacks on the flanks and centre have defined their game play. And two wins in the last two games have given them a confidence of sorts so that they will be looking to make it three wins, against the best teams, in a row.

Chennaiyin come to Pune after back-to-back hard fought draws (the first one coming against Kolkata deep in injury time). The fact that Chennaiyin has consistently been amongst the top three teams in the league goes to show how good they are as far as their game play is concerned. Chennaiyin player-manager Marco Materazzi very clearly stated during the pre-match conference a day earlier that they are looking for a win to go to the top of the league.

Possible Lineups

FC Pune City (4-4-2): Arindam; Sarkar, Ravanan, Magliocchetti, Cirillo; Lenny, Gurung, Katsouranis, Davide; Dudu, Trezeguet

The game against Kolkata was an unfortunate one for forward John Goossens, who despite having been the architect behind the opening goal, and creating chances aplenty throughout the game, was involved in a nasty collision with his own keeper Arindam, which saw him leave the field on a stretcher. What it does mean, is team captain and Marquee player David Trezeguet will be returning back to the squad. It also means that there is a good chance that Pennant will get his first match of the ISL tonight. Colomba might bring on the ex-Liverpool player in the second half as a plausible substitute.

Trezeguet who has scored twice at home, one of them being the winner, will be looking to go out all guns blazing against the opposition. That combined with the charismatic flair of Dudu, the playmaking of Pennant, the hard work by both Davide and Gurung on the flanks and Katsouranis and Lenny in the centre it looks like a compact squad. The defence has been largely unchanged with the Italian-Indian combination working very well for them. There is little chance that Colomba will meddle around with that, and with the solid run that Arindam has been having, the coach might just give him another game in place of Belardi.

Chennaiyin FC (4-3-1-2): Bracigliano, Dhana, Silvestre, Mendy, Gouramangi, Denson, Materazzi, Khabra, Elano, Valencia, Jeje

It has worked for them and there is no reason, player-manager Materazzi will be looking to repeat the same line-up against Pune. The striking power of Elano is something that they will be banking on to fire them to the top of the league. Pune will have to work very hard in its defence if they are hoping to stop the Chennaiyin juggernaut. On the other hand the Chennaiyin defence, barring a few frailties is as good as any of the other top teams. With a defence that is ready to block and a strike force ready to run into any opposition they have a team that is ready to propel itself to the top of the league.

Elano who has been the standout player for them is well-known for his abilities to run down oppositions. Unlike Trezeguet on the other side who relies on guile, he is pure strength and speed and that is the reason why he has been one of the leading goal scorers of the tournament. Whatever the outcome of the game, one thing is for sure, he will be heavily involved in it.

Key Stats

Pune has completed 1662 passes as compared to the 1531 of Chennaiyin.
The ball possession rate is almost similar for both with Pune having a 47% of the share compared to Chennaiyin’s 48.

Key Battles

Elano vs Trezeguet

Attacking mid-fielder vs. forward. Speed and strength vs. Guile and agility. With the long range volleys from Elano to the deft chips and flicks from Trezeguet, the two players have provided enough joy to their supporters as well as fans of the sport in general. Seeing both of them take to the field on the opposite sides will be an interesting battle. How it pans out eventually could decide the fate of the game.

Valencia, Jeje vs Magliocchetti/Cirillo

Chennaiyin’s attack against Pune’s defence. The defence from the home team has come in good stead and found its footing eventually. On the other hand, the lethal strike force of both Valencia and Jeje will add to the fire power of the Elano cannon. Will the home team be able to thwart the advances of the juggernaut, or will the opposition steamroll them? This is something that will be an interesting key battle to watch. The Pune back four will be tested like they have never been before in the game today against Chennaiyin.

Prediction

With both the teams evenly balanced, it will be a good game of football. Pune has worked very hard to come all the way to the top, while Chennaiyin has always been in the top three thanks to some extremely attacking football.

Pune City 2-2 Chennaiyin