Mobilenews24x7 Bureau
As Chennaiyin FC gear up to take on Odisha FC in their third away game of the Indian Super League, head coach Thomas Brdaric said that he’s expecting a high-scoring contest when the two sides go head-to-head at the Kalinga Stadium here on Thursday.
Chennaiyin FC are unbeaten so far in away matches this season and have won their games against ATK Mohun Bagan and East Bengal FC.
While the Marina Machans will come into the match following an impressive win over Jamshedpur FC, Odisha beat East Bengal in their last game.
When asked about the possibility of a high-scoring game during the pre-match press conference on Wednesday, Brdaric quickly responded: “Of course. Both teams like to play offensively. But it all depends on a lot of things like how both the teams play against the ball.”
The two sides last faced each other at the Kalinga Stadium back in 2020, a game that Odisha emerged victorious. However, the teams have played each other four times in the league since, with Chennaiyin winning twice and drawing two.
However, under Josep Gombau, Odisha have been in good form in the on-going season, registering four wins from six games. The team have looked good in the attack, having scored 10 goals, and interestingly, eight of them have come in the second half.
Aware of Odisha’s ability to comeback in the second half, Brdaric said his men are prepared for this challenge and look forward to an exciting game ahead.
“Odisha are having a good season under an experienced coach. And to beat them, we have to play in a professional way and show our abilities. I’m looking forward to it because it will be an interesting match.
“We have analysed them. They try to implement their strengths; they’re known to score and we are working on how to deny them. We don’t have to give them spaces to exploit and our pressing must be very good tomorrow.”
Chennaiyin currently find themselves seventh on the points table with 10 points from six games. Three points against Odisha will help them break into Top-4.
In terms of head-to-head the two sides have played each other on six occasions, with Chennaiyin winning two against Odisha’s one. Three games between the two teams have ended in a stalemate.
with agency inputs
