"Valskis will be available for the next match" Chennaiyin FC coach Bozidar Bandovic ahead of FC Goa tie

Chennaiyin FC will face a tough challenge on Saturday when they face FC Goa in their last match of the first leg of the ISL. The Marina Machans are currently sixth on the ISL table with 14 points from 9 matches.

After two back-to-back losses against Kerala Blasters and Bengaluru FC, Chennaiyin FC managed to defeat in-form Jamshedpur FC in their last match.

Speaking to the media in the pre-match press conference, Chennaiyin FC head coach Bozidar Bandovic praised his players for their comeback win and spoke about showing character and passion. He said:

"Of course, it gave us good confidence. After the two losses, especially the Bengaluru one, it was very good for us. For me, it is important that my players show character, personality and show me they can be mentally strong."

The Chennaiyin FC coach added:

"I am very proud of them because they showed me they can change things after the two losses. There are other teams who are much stronger than us who, after three bad results, are still not coming back. We have stability and that is very good."

The 2021-22 ISL season is turning out to be a close affair with just two points separating the top six teams in the league. When asked about the playoffs, the Chennaiyin FC coach said that they just want to focus on the next match at the moment. Bozidar Bandovic said:

"At this moment, we are satisfied how things are going on. There are a lot of matches left, so for my team and I, only the next match is on our minds. We will see how many points we need to qualify for the playoffs, we go game by game. My players will give everything for tomorrow's game and take all the three points with a win."

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"Was looking at Vinit Rai but Mumbai took him" - Chennaiyin FC head coach Bozidar Bandovic on transfer window

Bozidar Bandovich was asked if the club was looking to add reinforcements in the winter window. The Chennaiyin FC coach responded that he is fine with the team he currently has. He also revealed one of the side's targets in the transfer window. Bandovich said:

"I am okay with the squad we have. We will see if we have any players coming in the window. For example, I was looking at Vinit Rai for a long time but Mumbai City took him. Even for domestic players, it is very difficult in the January window as most players are under contract."

He added:

"This is not an excuse, but in football, you need time and patience to prepare the plans for the next step. I am working in a way that I will stay here for the next five years."

Debjit Majumder made his Chennaiyin FC debut in the match against Jamshedpur FC and managed to keep a clean sheet. His impressive performance was appreciated by fans. Bandovich spoke about Majumder as well and said:

"Debjit worked very hard in training. If you don't work well, you cannot get confidence. So the first thing he did was to work very hard in the training. He had a good game and that was good for him as well as the team. But like I said before, it doesn't matter how many minutes or matches a player plays, what matters is how he helps the team."

Bandovic also gave the team news for the match on Saturday and revealed that fan favourite Nerijus Valskis will be available for the match. However, midfielder Ariel Borysiuk continues to miss out. The Chennaiyin FC coach said:

"Valskis will be available for the match. Ariel Borysiuk will skip this one, he is feeling much better so we will see what will happen in the next few days and then take a decision."