Reigniting the fierce rivalry down south, Chennaiyin FC will lock horns with Bengaluru FC at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Chennai on Wednesday, December 13.
With both teams languishing in the bottom half of the table, they need a win to recover from their poor starts to the season and revive their hopes of reaching the playoffs.
The Marina Machans are eighth in the standings with nine points from as many matches. They have drawn their last three games against East Bengal FC, Kerala Blasters FC, and Jamshedpur FC, respectively. But the Blues have a chance to return to winning ways against their southern rivals who are in a fix of their own.
Bengaluru FC are at a place below Chennaiyin FC in the standings and are coming off a humiliating 4-0 defeat at the hands of Mumbai City FC. Soon after, the club decided to part ways with their Durand Cup-winning head coach Simon Grayson.
Renedy Singh has taken over the reins of the club on an interim basis and amid the turmoil, Chennaiyin FC will hope to strike when the iron is hot and bag the full three points on offer.
Chennaiyin FC vs Bengaluru FC: Head-to-head record
Bengaluru FC have a historical superiority, having secured victory in seven of the 13 previous face-offs. In contrast, Chennaiyin FC, with just three victories to their name, are hopeful of improving their record tonight.
Chennaiyin FC vs Bengaluru FC: Top goalscorers this season
Chennaiyin FC: Connor Shields (3 goals)
Bengaluru FC: Sunil Chhetri (3 goals)
Chennaiyin FC vs Bengaluru FC: Stats and numbers from the 2023-24 ISL season
Most assists: Rafael Crivellaro (5), Sunil Chhetri (2).
Most shots: Jordan Murray (11), Sunil Chhetri (14).
Most saves: Debjit Majumder (13), Gurpreet Singh Sandhu (27).
Most successful tackles: Ankit Mukherjee (12), Naorem Roshan Singh (9).