NEUFC are tough opponents but we'll give our everything to ensure us the 3 points, says CFC coach Gregory

CHENNAIYIN FC will be rearing to get a win in tonight's clash against NorthEast United FC after their first match loss at the hands of FC Goa.

Coach John Gregory echoed the same emotion at the pre-match press conference.

"As coaching staff, and also as players, the first thing you want to do after a loss is get back on the field and try and correct the performance from Sunday. So, we get the chance very quickly. Thursday’s coming around, and it can’t come quick enough. Most of us would want to get back out there on the field and try and make up for a bit of lost time."

The burden that's lurking around Chennaiyin is the fact that they haven't been able to beat NEUFC at home. But they are looking to change that around this time,

"Records are there to be broken, and statistics come up all the time. I believe that Jeje, the most goals that he has scored against any other team is Pune. So, he has that one coming up next week, which he wants to maintain, but obviously, NorthEast have never lost here. They’ve been here three times and never lost. So eventually, it’s got to happen, and we’ll do everything we possibly can to make sure it’s Thursday."

Talking about any injury concerns and confirming if the players will be up to play for the match, he said,

"Germanpreet is fit. He has recovered; he had a slight knock which he got with the national team… but he’s recovered. We always thought that he just had enough time to recover for the game against NorthEast. So, he’s fully fit and back on the training ground with the rest of the guys."

Raphael, there is a small doubt about him going into the game, but anybody that knows Raphael, if you ever ask him the question, ‘Are you fit enough to play?’ His response will always be ‘Yes’. He wanted to play so badly on Sunday, and he scored a goal, and did lots of very good things throughout the 90 minutes. He’s a bit of a warrior. Raphael gave everything in that game. Once or twice he got some really heavy challenges against him, had a bit of treatment on the field, but got back up again and continued right up till the 97th minute. He’s a competitor. Certainly, a bit battered and bruised on Monday morning, like most of us were. But he’s fine, he’s fit and he’s training, and will be up for selection tomorrow."

Talking further about tonight's clash against NEUFC, he said,

"NorthEast from their opening game, we saw bits of their play we feel might be a weakness, but they have also got a lot of strengths in their side. They have got a lot of good players, and are a big side. We’ll certainly need to be aware on set pieces. They deliver good set pieces as well. So, it’s another tough game for us... NorthEast is (also) a tough nut to crack. They have been defending very well. I would imagine they were a little disappointed against Jamshedpur, because they had some really good chances. The Jamshedpur goalkeeper made some brilliant saves actually, which kept them in the game at 0-0. So, they’ll be a very tough team to play against."

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