Under-prepared Chennaiyin meets Bengaluru, Vishal tests positive

The Chennaiyin players will head into the match with just one training session under their belt as they were forced into isolation for three days following Vishal Kaith’s positive coronavirus result. “There is no time for recovery and preparation as we are undergoing isolation. We are going to play without any preparation,” a concerned CFC head coach Bozidar Bandovic said in the pre-match press conference on Tuesday afternoon.

The Chennaiyin team had a light training session on Tuesday evening after the rest of the contingent tested negative for COVID-19. Despite the huge off-field setback, CFC would look to avenge the 2-4 defeat it suffered in the reverse fixture in December 2021.

“We will find it difficult to play [after minimal training], but it is not an excuse. It (Bengaluru) is one of the best teams with quality players in its squad. It is very dangerous in offensive set-pieces. We need to defend the set-pieces well,” added Bandovic.

“We played a good game [against BFC last time around]. There were some mistakes, so we need to defend the set-pieces better.” Chennaiyin comes into the Bengaluru contest on the back of a hard-fought 2-1 win against NorthEast United FC on Saturday, a match in which foreign midfielders Ariel Borysiuk and Vladimir Koman rippled the net.

Bandovic said that his team can take confidence from its victory in the previous fixture. “We created chances, which is the first positive [thing]. Secondly, we turned the match around [in the second half] by scoring two goals. The boys put in good effort and we showed a lot of character. We won in the end, which was very important for us,” Bandovic went on to add in the virtual chat.

Two-time winner CFC (18 points from 12 matches) will jump to the top of the ISL Season 8 table if it manages a positive result against BFC (14 points from 12 matches), whose form has improved of late.