Defending champions Chennaiyin FC play their first home game of Indian Super League (ISL) 2018/19 season on Saturday, October 6 as they host FC Goa at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium.
When does the match start and how to watch it live
The ISL tie between Chennaiyin and Goa will start at 7:30 pm IST and 3 pm BST.
Star Sports 2 and Star Sports 2 HD will provide live television coverage of the match in India. The live stream will be available on Hotstar and Jio TV.
What to expect from the match
Both Chennaiyin FC and FC Goa are heading into the match after failing to win their openers last week.
Chennaiyin fell to Bengaluru FC 1-0 in a repeat of last year's final in Bengaluru. On the other hand, Goa were held to a 2-2 draw by North East United FC on the road.
Both teams would be hoping for three points as they meet for the first time since Chennaiyin's semi-final win over FC Goa last year. In fact, Goa managed to beat Chennaiyin only once in four meetings in the 2017-18 season.
If their season opener is anything to go by, it is safe to say Goa are yet to fix their defensive woes that let down last season. Goa had hit the most number of goals in the 10-team league last season but their defensive discipline was a cause for concern.
Ferran Corominas continued from where he left last season by scoring a brace against the North East last week but a couple of defensive errors cost them two points.
Goalkeeper Mohammed Nawaz, who was prefered over Laxmikant Kattimani and Lalthuammawia Ralte, failed to impress as he made a costly handling error last weekend.
Sergio Lobera might still not want to hand the error-prone Kattimani a start and thus Ralte may make it into the starting line-up in Chennai.
Gregory backs Jeje to fire at home
On the other hand, Chennaiyin will once again be hoping to showcase their defensive discipline after a strong showing from their foreign trio of Mailson Alves, Inigo Calderon, and Eli Sabia.
In the absence of Dhanapal Ganesh, the midfield lacked a bit of flair in Bengaluru but Gregory will be hoping the youngsters in the team step up in front of the home crowd today.
Jeje came up with an under-par showing against Bengaluru but Gregory has insisted his faith in the 27-year-old striker "is unwavering". The Marina Machans also have the option of using Argentina-born Palestine striker Carlos Salom upfront if things aren't going according to plan on Saturday.
Team news - Predicted starting lineups
Chennaiyin FC: Karanjit; Jerry, Sabia, Mailson, Calderon; Thapa, Germanpreet; Nelson, Augusto, Francis; Jeje
FC Goa: Ralte; Mandar, Ali, Chinglensana, Seriton; Bedia, Jahouh; Palanca, Boumous, Liston; Coro
