Pride at stake as Chennai host DSK Shivajians

Languishing at the bottom of the table, Chennai City FC take on DSK Shivajians in an I-League fixture at the Jawaharlal Nehru stadium here tomorrow.

Chennai have no option but to go for an outright win against DSK Shivajians who are placed sixth with two more points more than the home side.

Chennai are coming off two back-to-back defeats to Shillong Lajong and Aizawl FC while DSK Shivajians suffered a demoralising setback against Churchill Brothers last week.

Chennai coach V Soundararajan claimed that his side will go into this match looking for the full three points.

"After the Aizawl defeat, we have worked really well. We are confident and we will go all out against DSK Shivajians," he said.
 

"We were very poor after the Aizawl game. We have changed our system. We are in the same position like we played Mumbai. We are bottom now but all we need is a win to propel us back up the table," he added.

The coach also revealed that his young players have been taking part in the local league in order to gain some match practice.

He stated that he intends to start tomorrow's game with all his four foreign recruits -- Charles de Souza, Haroon Amiri, Aniyiche Echezona and Marcos Vinicius.

Denson Devadas (knee injury) and Raju Yumnam are doubtful starters while Tamil Nadu-born winger Edwin is ruled out for the hosts.

DSK Shivajians boss Dave Rogers sounded extremely confident ahead of the game and chose not to reflect much on their loss to Churchill Brothers in the previous game.

"Every game is a must-win game. In the last game, the first half was even. We have academy players in the squad and they had chances but the opposition took theirs. That's football. You have to take the chances," he said.

"This is our fifth away game and we have been travelling a lot. The journey has taken its toll on us.

"If we take a look at the bigger picture, we have been introducing young players in our squad. We could say we have been inconsistent this season with respect to results. We will try and get all three points tomorrow," Rogers stated.

On the opposition, Rogers said, "It's great to have them in the league. It's a great place (Chennai). They have a new coach. That might give them a lift. Anyone can put a run of form together. That's what makes the league interesting."

He also revealed that striker Kim Seong-yong has been ruled out for the season after he picked up a ligament injury while Sumeet Passi (ankle injury) and Sascha Kolunija are still out.