ISL 2018-19: Chennaiyin FC vs Bengaluru FC: Preview and prediction
What's the story
Tomorrow the team at the bottom of the Indian Super League table will be hosting the team leading the table. While Chennaiyin, the defending champions have earned a mere five points from 14 matches, Bengaluru FC have collected 31 points from 14 matches so far. Will the match be as one-sided as it looks on paper? Here's our detailed preview.
Chennaiyin FC
How are Chennaiyin looking ahead of the encounter?
Chennaiyin have managed to win just one match this season after pocketing the title in 2017-18. They will be coming off five straight defeats and a win against Bengaluru will be a great morale booster from them. Mailson Alves, suspended for three matches, will not feature in the action tomorrow. CK Vineeth did score a goal against Pune, but has hardly been influential otherwise.
Bengaluru FC
Are Bengaluru prepared for tomorrow's action?
Bengaluru have been in fine form this season, suffering just one loss at the hands of Mumbai City. They will further be boosted by the fact that Miku has recovered from his injury and might start the match against Chennaiyin tomorrow. He has already scored three goals and provided two assists this season. A win tomorrow will put them seven points ahead of second-placed Mumbai.
Key players
Who will be the key players in the match tomorrow?
Chennai's new arrival from Kerala Blasters, CK Vineeth will be their man when it comes to scoring goals. Raphael Augusto role as attacking midfielder can also be vital while trying to break Bengaluru's defense tomorrow. Bengaluru have a host of players who can change the game, with the likes of Sunil Chhetri and Miku in attack and Gurpreet as the dependable goalkeeper.
Predicted line-up
Predicted line-up and TV listing
Chennaiyin FC: Karanjit, Renthlei, Ralte, Sabia, Tondonba, Herd, Thapa, Nelson, Augusto, Lalpekhlua, Vineeth. Bengaluru FC: Gurpreet, Kumar, Serran, Juanan, Bheke, Khabra, Paartalu, Delgado, Singh, Chhetri, Miku. The match is scheduled to kick-off at 7:30 PM, and can be watched on the Star Sports network or live-streamed on Hotstar and Jio TV.
Match prediction
How can the match turn out tomorrow?
Bengaluru are clearly the favorites and will surely dominate the entire match tomorrow. They have players like Miku and Chhetri who can easily disrupt Chennaiyin's defense and create problems early on in the match. Chennaiyin are going through a very rough phase and are hardly any match to the firepower of Bengaluru. We predict Bengaluru will win the match with a 3-0 scoreline.
Fantasy XI
What should be the ideal Fantasy XI for the match?
Choose Gurpreet as the goalkeeper keeping a 4-2-3-1 formation in mind. Eli Sabia and Serran can be the center-backs while Bheke and Renthlei play as the left and right backs respectively. Herd and Delgado can be the defensive midfielders while Chhetri, Udanta Singh and Augusto play as attacking midfielders. Miku can serve as the striker.