Host wary of ATK firepower
Chennaiyin FC will be desperate for their first win of the season when they welcome ATK for a Hero Indian Super League clash at the Jawaharlal Nehru stadium here on Wednesday.
The 2017-18 champions have just the one point to show for their efforts so far, after they followed up a 0-3 loss away to FC Goa with a goalless draw against Mumbai City FC on Sunday. Their task is not easy though, given that ATK are coming off a morale-boosting 5-0 thumping of Hyderabad FC.
While the performance against Mumbai City was an improvement from their game against Goa, Chennaiyin FC are yet to score a goal in two matches. However, head coach John Gregory is not perturbed and chose to focus on the chances his team has created in these two games.
“We did everything but score (against Mumbai City).
We had a lot of chances. We had 18 shots on goal. Not all on target but we certainly had the opportunities to score. I am bewildered that we did not score. The keeper (Amrinder Singh) made an outstanding save from Rafael (Crivellaro). So I am pleased with that side of our game. Nirka (Nerijus Valskis) had a couple of chances as well. There were periods last year where we were not even creating chances. We are creating chances now though,” said Gregory.
“ATK had an amazing victory the other night. They scored with every chance they had. With Williams and Krishna, they are difficult to keep quiet. They both come from the A-League where they have done particularly well. But we are confident going into the match,” he added. “We need to be switched on at all times. ATK tend to start games well,” said Gregory.