Good omen
The Machans wound up their campaign with a 5-1 in over ISL rivals Odisha FC in their last pre-season friendly and that should hold them in good stead ahead of the season.
Skipper Anirudh Thapa, Rahim Ali, Petar Sliskovic, Kwame Karikari and Suhail Pasha scored a goal each for CFC while Odisha FC's lone goal came from Diego Mauricio's strike.
Good preparation
The Marina Machans will open their ISL 2022-23 campaign with an away game in Kolkata against ATK Mohun Bagan in their first game of the campaign (October 10). CFC then return home for two back-to-back games against Bengaluru FC and FC Goa (October 14 and 21).
The club coached by Brdaric and led by the talismanic Thapa had started their preparations early in August, taking on Kolkata's Kidderpore SC (5-1) before playing out a draw against Army Green (1-1) prior to the Durand Cup.
Squad and Key Players
While there has been a complete overhaul of their foreign contingent, the team has also reinforced their Indian contingent with a profusion of several youth players alongside experienced campaigners.
CFC Squad:
Goalkeepers: Debjit Majumder, Samik Mitra, Devansh Dabas, Lovepreet Singh.
Defenders: Narayan Das, Aakash Sangwan, Vafa Hakhamaneshi, Fallou Diagne, Gurmukh Singh, Mohd Sajid Dhot, Ajith Kumar, Monotosh Chakladar, Mohd Aqib.
Midfielders: Nasser El Khayati, Jiteshwor Singh, Anirudh Thapa, Edwin Vanspaul, Julius Duker, Sajal Bag, Chris White, Mohammed Rafique, Sourav Das, Suhail Pasha
Forwards: Ninthoi Meetei, Vincy Barretto, Rahim Ali, Romario Jesuraj, Petar Sliskovic, Kwame Karikari, Prasanth Karuthadathkuni, Jockson Dhas, Senthamizh, Jobby Justin, Gulab Singh, Mohamed Liyaakath.
Fixtures and predictions
This year, CFC kickstart their campaign on October 10, when they take on ATK Mohun Bagan away, before hosting Bengaluru FC at the Marina Arena on October 14.
After having failed to make it to the play-offs last season, the Marina Machans, under new coach Brdaric will be eyeing a much better show this time around.