Aizawl FC gear up to host Chennai City in first home match

Former champions Aizawl FC face a tricky task when they take on title holders Chennai City FC in their first home match of the I-League season here on Tuesday. Aizawl is coming into the match after being crowned Mizoram Premier League champions which will give them a psychological boost in their match against Chennai City.

Stanley Rozario's side has won one, lost one and drawn one in the three matches they have played so far while Chennai City is coming into the match after their 1-3 loss against Punjab FC. Rozario said he was pretty happy with how Aizawl has performed in the league so far.

"Many young talented players were promoted to the senior team from our academy and it is very difficult for me to change the squad for every match, so I keep continuing the same team," he said at the pre-match press conference. "But two new foreigners were put into the mix against Neroca FC and Indian Arrows. In upcoming matches, I may bring some fresh legs," he added.

Asked about their Tuesday's opponents, he said, "CCFC has a good squad with the same winning coach, and after losing to Punjab, they will come strongly against us. But my team is in high spirits after winning MPL and we will go all out to collect three full points at home." Chennai City, on the other hand, has had a long rest after that defeat against Punjab FC and they will be looking to make up for the loss.

"I think it is always a learning experience and the match against Punjab FC gave us another dimension as to how we should approach our game. We are looking to put a strong put forward against Aizawl FC tomorrow," head coach Akbar Nawas said. "We are a very new team as a lot of players have left. We had some injuries as well which included 'Fito' whose services we did not have in the last match. It is still a learning curve for us and it will take some time for us to get the continuity like the bigger clubs like Mohun Bagan and East Bengal."

At the moment, Chennai City is placed seventh in the points table while Aizawl is at fifth.