The Indian Super League returns after a two-day Christmas break with a new rivalry taking shape as two-time champions Chennaiyin FC take on Kolkata giants SC East Bengal for the first time ever, at the Tilak Maidan on Saturday evening.

Buoyed by the 2-1 win over FC Goa one week prior, CFC take on Robbie Fowler’s East Bengal who are winless so far. Three points could bring Chennaiyin into the top-four fray following two consecutive victories, with only three points currently separating them and FC Goa and NorthEast United FC, both on 11 points and having played more games than CFC.

In the pre-match press conference on Christmas eve, CFC Head Coach Csaba Laszlo revealed that the game against SCEB may come too soon for Portuguese striker Isma Goncalves, who has missed the previous two games through injury. Having returned to training, he could be in contention for Chennaiyin’s following game, a high-profile encounter against ATK Mohun Bagan on December 29th. Laszlo will however be without the services of right-back Reagan Singh against East Bengal, who misses out through suspension after accumulating four yellow cards.

Fans may be treated to an interesting sub-plot when CFC and SCEB meet on Saturday. Three former Chennaiyin strikers are now part of the Red & Golds, in the form of CFC legend Jeje Lalpekhlua, CFC’s first ever goalscorer Balwant Singh, and Kerala striker CK Vineeth. Jeje is still the Marina Machans’ leading goalscorer (25) and appearance maker (76) in all competitions, having been at the club for their first six seasons before making the switch to the Kolkata side this campaign.

“East Bengal have good football players; they are a new team that needs to adapt to the ISL. I saw that in the starting few matches they weren’t good but they are improving and it will be a difficult challenge for us for sure,” Chennaiyin gaffer Csaba Laszlo pointed out in his pre-match press briefing.

CFC will be wary of the threat East Bengal pose, with the latter motivated to get their first win. The midfield injection of skipper Rafael Crivellaro and India international Anirudh Thapa was instrumental in the victory over FC Goa, and Chennaiyin will be hoping they continue the good work with games coming in quick succession. Rafael scored a stunning Olympic goal against Goa, which also bagged him the ISL Goal of the Week award.

The Chennaiyin faithful will be hopeful their attackers convert more of their chances in coming games though. CFC are currently fourth in the list of shots taken (85) after six games, with only five goals coming from those. That makes them third from bottom when it comes to converting those chances, a statistic they will be eager to rectify against East Bengal. At the other end, Vishal Kaith and his defensive line have kept two clean sheets so far. The Himachal Pradesh keeper has made some stellar saves this season, and his sole aim will be to build on the same in search of victory.

(Chennaiyin FC)