A win is all Chennai City FC need to claim their maiden I-League title when they take on defending champions Minerva Punjab in their final game at Chennai on Saturday.
With 40 points in 19 games, Chennai City are top of the table. However, East Bengal are one point behind and need a win over Gokulam Kerala to savour any hopes of stealing the title from Chennai City.
If Chennai win against Minerva they will land a maiden national crown in remarkably just their third year in the league. Even a draw can see them through, provided East Bengal do not win against Gokulam.
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On the other hand, East Bengal will face Gokulam in a must-win match in hopes of winning the title.
Chennai had the opportunity to win the title in the previous match but succumbed to a dramatic 2-3 defeat at the hands of Churchill Brothers.
Playing their final game of the season, Chennai will miss the services of its star midfielder Nestor Gordillo, who is facing a yellow-card suspension.
Gordillo is a key member of a troika of attacking Spaniards including league joint top scorer Pedro Manzi and Sandro Rodriguez. The trio has accounted for 37 of Chennai's 45 goals.
The value of Gordillo to the team is far beyond his eight goals and nine assists delivered in the campaign thus far. His vision, trickery and passing ability has rarely been seen in an Indian domestic football season in the recent past.
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Meanwhile, Minerva are lying on the tenth spot with 17 points in 18 games. They have witnessed a stormy season which saw foreign players recruited and discarded frequently.
The 'Warriors' from Punjab will fancy their chances as party-poopers and also gain some momentum ahead of the Super Cup.
(PTI)
