East Bengal will hope to shrug off their Derby loss last Saturday and return to winning ways when they host Chennaiyin FC in an ISL IX match at the Salt Lake Stadium on Friday.

The red and gold brigade have lost three out of the four games they have played so far but have had moments in those outings that could have changed the outcome of the match in their favour.

Coach Stephen Constantine believes the game against Chennaiyin FC will be an opportunity for his team to hold their level of performance together for 90 minutes. He thinks such a performance could transform the vibe around the team for the remainder of the campaign.

“We need a good performance and three points against Chennaiyin FC. I think that will make everyone positive. It’s a tough season. The messages I got from fans are very positive.

“That’s because of what the players did on the pitch (in the last few matches). Not anything else. In football, you don’t always get what you deserve but we will try to give the best possible version of ourselves and hopefully, that results in three points,” he said at the pre-match media conference on Thursday.

Chennaiyin’s visit to the city last month was memorable. A goal down, they rallied to beat ATK Mohun Bagan 2-1. The visitors have scored three goals so far this season. However, they have created 35 chances in the three games they have played.

“Football is very simple — if you cannot score, you cannot win. Hopefully, we will give out best shot on Friday,” coach Thomas Brdaric said.