ISL: In-form Bengaluru look to continue good run

Back after an encouraging win over the dangerous-looking FC Pune City, Bengaluru FC will look to continue their fine run in the Indian Super League when they host  Chennaiyin FC on Sunday.

Though new to this league, the Albert Roca-coached side has dished out fluid performances that have powered them to the top spot on the league table with 12 points from five games.

Ever since Roca  took over the reins, he has tried to imbibe his philosophy of pass-and-move game into this side. While in the past, they did show some signs of what Roca wanted from his boys, this time the city side has been spot on delivering what their head coach wants.

New recruits Dimas Delgado and Edu Garcia have been key components of this Bengaluru unit. This was evident against Pune when Roca chose to rest Garcia and instead handed  Braulio Nobrega, a striker, his first start. While the Spanish forward failed to add extra muscle to the attack, the side suffered in the midfield.

A prompt change at the hour mark saw Garcia being introduced and the game changed on its head as the medio spread the ball well and set up Miku who went on to make the most of the opportunities in front of the goal.

The past games have also seen Roca  put  Rahul Bheke's versatility to good use and rotate his centre-backs Juan Gonzales and John Johnson. While Bheke is certain to retain his place in the side for Sunday, it would be interesting to see if the Spanish tactician fields both his foreign defenders and sacrifices in the midfield or stick to using Bheke as a centre-back to add strength to his midfield.

Goalkeeper Gurpreet Singh Sandhu is available for selection after serving his two-match ban for taking a swing at an opposition player in Goa, while the likes of John Johnson,  Lenny Rodrigues and Toni Dovale will be eager to make it to the starting XI after missing out against Pune.

Challenging  Bengaluru on Sunday in what will be an early kick-off (5:30 PM) are champions of the 2015 edition Chennaiyin.

The  John Gregory-coached side has been  defensively solid after a manic opening game against FC Goa, which saw them leak three goals in the opening half itself. Since then, they have shown immense improvement and have been successful in notching up wins, taking them to the third spot on the league table with nine points from five games.

Gregory has ensured he worked on the defence centred around  Mailson Alves and Henrique Sereno,  with the duo well complemented by Inigo Calderon and Dhanpal Ganesh in the midfield. And with Indian international Jeje Lalpekhlua partnering Nigerian  Jude Nworuh upfront, the visitors will be eager to take the game to their opponents in their quest to knock them off the perch.