Jamshedpur FC Team News
Owen Coyle was the mastermind behind last season's stunning recovery that saw Chennaiyin go from rock bottom to within a game of the ISL title. But over the summer, he made the decision to sign for Jamshedpur FC, taking along with him last season's joint top-scorer and golden boot winner Nerijus Valskis.
Also joining Coyle was Mizo defender Laldinliana Renthlei, who wore Chennaiyin's blue for a couple of seasons.
Coyle, no doubt, knows the players that he left behind really well, but the Scot doesn't believe that's an advantage. "Obviously, we know their strengths," he said.
"But I've always felt that when you come up against your old team, players who have played for you before, they want to show you they're still the top players that you believed they were. So we'll be very respectful of them."
The signing of Valskis will no doubt add teeth to Jamshedpur's attack. But Coyle will be aware that more pressing problems lie elsewhere.
Jamshedpur conceded 35 goals last season with only Hyderabad FC having a more porous defence. It remains to be seen whether the captures of former Sunderland defender Peter Hartley and Nigerian centre-back Stephen Eze will improve things in this regard.
Chennaiyin FC Team News
For Chennaiyin, the biggest task will be to fill the gaps left behind by departing players. Of the foreign contingent from last season, only new captain Rafael Crivellaro and defender Eli Sabia remain.
New coach Csaba Laszlo will hope that new recruits like Slovak forward Jakub Sylvestr and Bosnian defender Enes Sipovic can help fill these gaps. Jamshedpur fans will also find a familiar face in the Chennaiyin ranks — Brazilian defender Memo played for their side last season.
Despite all the additions, a familiar face will be expected to bear a lot of the burden — Crivellaro, who created more chances (52) than anyone else in the league.
"I'm very happy and honoured to be the captain," he said. "But for me, nothing changes, my style or the way that I play football. The most important thing is to make good assists for my strikers.
JFC Team:
Goalkeepers: TP Rehenesh, Pawan Kumar, Niraj Kumar, Raj Mahato, Vishal Yadav.
Defenders: Peter Hartley, Stephen Eze, Narender Gehlot, Joyner Lourenco, Laldinliana Renthlei, Karan Amin, Manash Protim Gogoi, Sandip Mandi, Ricky Lallawmawma, Subhash Barua.
Midfielders: Aitor Monroy, Alex Lima, Jackichand Singh, Nicholas Fitzgerald, Issac Vanmalsawma, Amarjit Singh, Mobashir Rahman, Jitendra Singh, Manisana Singh, Harsha Parui, Billu Teli, Gorachand Mardi, Gaurab, Bhupender Singh.
Forwards: Nerijus Valskis, David Grande, Aniket Jadhav, Sapam Kennedy Singh, William Lalnunfela.
CFC Team:
Goalkeepers: BY Revanth, Vishal Kaith, Karanjit Singh, Samik Mitra.
Defenders: Lalchhuanmawia Fanai, Enes Sipovic, Edwin Sydney Vanspaul, Reagan Singh, Eli Sabia, Jerry Lalrinzuala, Remi Aimol, Balaji Ganesan, Aqib Nawab, Deepak Tangri.
Midfielders: Fatkhulo Fatkhulloev (captain), Thoi Singh, Anirudh Thapa, Memo Moura, Lallianzuala Chhangte, Rafael Crivellaro, Abhijit Sarkar, Srinivasan Pandiyan, Germanpreet Singh, Dhanpal Ganesh.
Forwards: Jakub Sylvestr, Aman Chetri, Rahim Ali, Isma
Match Details:
Match Date: 24th November
Match Start Time: 7:30pm IST
Live on: Star Sports Network
Live Streaming on: Disney+ Hotstar VIP, Jio TV