AGENCY
Chennai: FC Pune City coach Antonio Habas said that the last four matches in Indian Super League are the “most important” as teams keep their fingers crossed and work towards a place in the semi-finals. The top four teams in Hero ISL will qualify for the knock-out stage at the end of 14 league matches. Delhi Dynamos are at the top with 17 points and FC Goa are at the bottom with 10 points but with four matches still left to be played, no team is guaranteed of a place in the play-off and no team can be ruled out at this stage. It’s a point that coaches emphasised a lot as Chennaiyin FC prepare to thwart the ambitions of FC Pune City at Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, Chennai, on Tuesday. “We have good chances to make it to the qualifiers. Goa (placed at the bottom) is also hoping, (and) if they do, we can also hope to make it,” said Chennaiyin FC coach Marco Materazzi. The defending champions have been below par this season. Their winless run of five matches is the longest in their history and they have conceded 14 goals this season, the highest alongside FC Goa. Chennaiyin FC have also conceded seven goals in their last two matches, equalling their tally of goals conceded from their first seven matches in the league. Materazzi, however, refused to press the panic button and instead explained how his team could have been approaching this game differently had Nigerian striker Dudu Omagbemi scored against Kerala Blasters in the previous game when his team enjoyed a 1-0 advantage in the first session.(PTI)
