With Elsinho out with injury, Chennaiyin FC's Irfan Yadwad (24) will be crucial to the side’s attack. | Photo Credit: B. Jothi Ramalingam

Chennaiyin FC (CFC) will be keen to make the most of its home advantage when it takes on a resurgent Sporting Club Delhi at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Chennai on Friday in the Indian Super League (ISL).

After a tough start to the season on the road, Chennaiyin hasn’t registered a victory in its three straight home games, which leaves it 12th on the points table with just five points.

With no playoffs to vie for this campaign and the title now out of reach, head coach Clifford Miranda is wary of slipping into a relegation battle.

Though Mohammedan Sporting Club is primed for the drop with no points in seven outings, Miranda will want to put together a few positive results to put further breathing space between it and the last place.

“Including relegation has its own fights, possibilities and consequences. I don’t think any of us, not even for one bit, is less motivated than if they had to be fighting for a top four or top six spot. So, it is very important that we stay sharp and that we are up to the task,” said Miranda.

Three points for Chennaiyin could see it replace Delhi in ninth before it takes on Mohammedan at home next Tuesday, a fixture which could effectively decide its fate in the top division next season.

To do that Chennaiyin will need to improve its chance creation in front of goal, which currently reflects its position in the table. With a combined xG of 5.5 (third-lowest), CFC has scored just five goals (second-lowest). To make matters worse, it has also been wasteful with its finishing.

Chennaiyin has often been pedestrian with its passing, failing to be incisive to trouble the opposition. For all the possession it has hogged, it hasn’t translated into opportunities in the final third. The team also has the fourth-lowest touches (105) in the opposition penalty area.

Yet, Miranda is optimistic that a turnaround is around the corner.

“Now, I can see a bit of how I want the team to play, although the results haven’t gone our way. I can see some moments and shades of it, so for me and my players, the most important thing is to finish as high as possible,” said the Indian coach.

Delhi, which registered back-to-back victories, will make it another robust challenge for the home side. Tomasz Tchórz has got a right tune out of the resources at his disposal with several domestic talents repaying the faith shown in them by the Pole.

Mohammed Aimen, Mohammed Azhar and Joseph Sunny – the former two have previously worked with Tchórz at Kerala Blasters -- have all been instrumental in recent outings.

“We are in a good moment. I think we are not overconfident because players understand how hard they worked throughout the season and in the pre-season. First we sow, then we reap. Now it is a moment of harvesting. I hope that we will be getting fruits from our hard work,” said Tchórz.

Having settled in a 3-4-3 system, Delhi, placed ninth, is showing signs of life that it can punch above its weight against the well-established names. After conceding six in the opening two encounters, the defense has let in only four in the last five.

“They are very clear. That’s the system that offers you dynamic,” noted Miranda, “It’s one team who likes to play football and to build up from the back. They also have this dimension where if they cannot build up from the back, they go over the top. They may not have the best of names in Indian football, but it’s one team who wants to play football.”

It remains to be seen if Miranda opts to play two strikers up front to put more pressure on Delhi’s three-man backline. With Elsinho’s injury ruling him out of the season, it could allow Irfan Yadwad, Chennaiyin’s top-scorer, to partner Daniel Chima Chikwu in attack, while Mohammed Bemammer could return to the XI to shield the backline.

With an early evening kick-off in the sweltering Chennai summer, a cagey affair is the offing where both teams will want to put away any opening that presents itself in their bid to climb up the table.

Published on Apr 16, 2026