Chennai City will have to pull off an incredible coup to escape relegation when they lock horns with Churchill Brothers FC Goa in their I-League clash at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Coimbatore on Saturday.
With just three games left, Chennai's fate depends on the results elsewhere as well but the Southerners could take advantage of Churchill Brothers' back-to-back defeats to obtain three points at their own home ground.
Home ground is where Chennai City have struggled this season - they are yet to win at home.
"Tomorrow there is a chance for us because their (Churchill Brothers) team is very tired. It is a golden opportunity for us to win. We don't want to lose the chance as they are already tired," said Soundararajan, head coach of Chennai City.
The fixture involving Churchill is Chennai's sixth straight match at home, a run that has so far yielded four draws and a loss. The Southerners are running out of time and that makes winning against a team that has just three points more than them even more important.
"We want to win the match in front of our fans in Coimbatore. My players are giving their best. It is not like they aren't trying. They are doing their best but not getting the results. I told them to work hard and they have realised now."
Churchill Brothers are seventh on the table and have a game in hand over their opponents. However, after a decent start to the year, Alfred Fernandes has seen his team succumb to two away defeats in their last two games. Indian Arrows stuck late to register a comeback win and NEROCA scored an 86th-minute winner.
Churchill will be looking to put an end to the trend of conceding late goals when they play Chennai City.
"It is the business end of the I-League and there are a lot of things involved in the I-League. The season end is always a scary thing. No team is relegated until the last match is played," began Alfred Fernandes.
"Last two matches could have gone either way. In the Arrows match, we were in a winning position until the 90th minute. Two silly errors cost us two goals."
Alfred Fernandes' team will be looking to prevent defensive errors against a Chennai City side, which are eager to obtain points at home.
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