ISL 2015: Three reasons why Kerala will defeat Chennai tonight

11/21/2015

Chennaiyin FC host Kerala Blasters at the Marina Arena tonight for the second edition of the South Indian derby. Chennaiyin have dominated the derby so far, winning three of the last five meetings, but Kerala are likely to upset the apple cart this time, considering Chennaiyin's poor run of late.

Prediction: Chennaiyin FC 1–2 Kerala Blasters FC

1. Kerala's lethal attacking triumvirate

Kerala's attacking woes that they carried over from the last season seem a thing of the past with the trio of Chris Dagnall, Mohammad Rafi and Sanchez Watt leading the way.

Dagnall has contributed in nine goals so far– five goals and two assists, ably supported by Mohammed Rafi, with four goals in seven games. Now 23-year-old Antonio German has replaced the injured Watt and has scored three goals in his last two matches.

Kerala are currently the second highest scorers in the league with 16 goals in 10 games and half of those goals have arrived in the last three games. This in-form Kerala attack will now face a Chennaiyin defence which has conceded six goals in the last three matches– it is a mismatch on paper.

2. Absence of Jayesh Rane is hurting Chennai tactically

Jayesh Rane was a rising star, until he was sidelined due to fitness concerns. The forward's absence has forced Materazzi to change his tactics unsuccessfully.

Chennaiyin's best performancecame in the 4-0 win over FC Goa and in that match Materazzi had found the perfect balance in his line-up. Mendoza and Rane's pace, in their role as wide forwards, tore apart the Goa defence, as Elano pulled the strings from the midfield.

Since Jayesh's injury, Materazzi has played Fikru and Balwant Singh upfront, but neither has been able to provide the pace and width required in the formation. In their last match, Materazzi's tactics were questionable at best, as he opted for a 4-4-1-1 formation and played with four players who are natural central midfielders. The team had no width, and playing Fikru as a striker without having proper wingers appeared pointless.

Materazzi will need to make drastic changes to his side for this game against Kerala, else his team might face a hammering against Kerala tonight.

3. Chennaiyin's struggle to score

The Marina Machans have scored just five goals in their last six games, and three of those have arrived from open play. This is a shocking statistic for a team which possesses the joint top-scorer in the league, Stiven Mendoza, and the player who has contributed (created or scored) to the most number of goals– Elano.

Now with Mendoza having an unproductive patch, Chennaiyin are struggling to find the back of the net and in turn those elusive three points