Miranda: 'They have established players, but we are prepared' ahead of Chennaiyin's ISL home clash with East Bengal

On November 7, 2026, Chennaiyin FC head coach Clifford Miranda said he was ready for his side’s upcoming home match against East Bengal in the 2026/27 Indian Super League, adding: "They have established players, but we are prepared".

Chennaiyin, twice ISL champions in the past, have underperformed in recent campaigns and sit 12th in the current 2026/27 table. Miranda’s team opened the season with a draw against FC Goa before a 2-0 loss to Bengaluru FC, and while they have produced stronger displays against Mohun Bagan SG and Kerala Blasters FC, those performances have yielded only one point from a possible six. The Marina Machans dominated significant periods of those matches in possession and shots yet were still unable to convert that dominance into goals or points, losing to the Mariners and drawing at home with the Blasters.

East Bengal, the defending ISL champions, have enjoyed a busy and successful domestic run, winning the Durand Cup, reaching the IFA Shield final and winning both of their opening league fixtures while scoring nine goals. Miranda said he respected the quality of East Bengal’s squad and pointed to their early pre-season as a factor in their rhythm: "It’s true that East Bengal started the pre-season early and they already have this rhythm. I won’t use the word expensive because that goes in another dimension, but they have established players who have been there for a long time. They have established players who are in terms of market value, much more than most of the teams. I think they along with Mohun Bagan is the best squad. But again, like I always say, football is played on the pitch. On the pitch during those 90 minutes who is more stronger, who is more concentrated, who is more prepared and most importantly who takes the chances and of course, the one who controls the game as well."

Miranda acknowledged East Bengal’s rotation advantage from a settled squad but rejected the notion that Chennaiyin were inferior, citing his side’s pre-season work: "There is no denying that they are a good quality team. The fact that they have started the pre-season earlier or they have played games, gives them an advantage wherein they can rotate their squad as they have a settled squad. But it doesn’t make us inferior because I cannot complain about having less pre-season or having not played enough. I think we have had 7-8 weeks of pre-season in which we have played 7 friendly games." He reiterated his belief in his players’ readiness: "So, I have nothing to hide and we are prepared. We are prepared, not just now, we are prepared in the same way we were prepared for the first game against Goa. It’s just that we haven’t been able to find the goals. Otherwise, we are prepared."

A notable incident from the Kerala Blasters game saw Andre Green receive a straight red and Emmanuel Imanishimwe a second yellow; Green’s dismissal appeared straightforward at the time while Emmanuel’s red drew criticism from Chennaiyin’s dugout and supporters. On that sending-off Miranda said: "I don’t think my player was at fault. I saw the television replays and my player wasn’t at fault at all. Everyone makes small faults. The striker was trying to make a run, and he tried to obstruct him. It’s a normal foul and it can even be deemed a foul if the ball was there. The ball was nowhere closer because the Kerala player never played the ball to the striker. So, Emmanuel just tried to block him but the retaliation from the player was not good. It was the retaliation that got him the red card, and I think it’s kind to make (two red cards) to balance it. That’s why Emmanuel got the yellow card. It was not even a yellow card for me. If my player tells me, I trust my player 100%."

Miranda confirmed Maheson Singh is expected to be the only absentee through injury for the East Bengal fixture, while Nuno Reis will return after missing the last game to replace the suspended Emmanuel Imanishimwe. Winger Brison Fernandes, who featured in early camps under Khalid Jamil and was a regular under Manolo Márquez, has been recalled to the national squad by Naushad Moosa for the 2026 SAFF Championship despite not yet registering a goal or an assist in the 2026/27 ISL; on the call-up Brison said: "It’s always a proud feeling for me to go and represent my national team. First, I will focus on this match where we play against East Bengal. Then the next day I will go and I will be very proud to represent my country."

Chennaiyin’s scoring problems date back to the end of last season and persisted despite signing Ramon Tanque as their sole foreign striker; the Brazilian is yet to open his account and domestic forwards have struggled to step up, with Irfan Yadwad the most threatening attacker so far but on just one goal. Miranda stressed the need for greater composure from all players arriving in the final third: "It’s important that not just we rely on one but we rely on the other players around him (Ramon). The ones who are playing, especially the offensive players, should start scoring. The problem for us right now is not about creating or getting into positions to score goals. It’s a bit about the final touch, the composure. We require a bit of more composure, calmness and decisiveness in the final third." He added that the team have altered their approach since the Bengaluru game to get more players into the box: "Since the game against Bengaluru FC, we have made a small twitch. I will not tell you what that twitch is but let the opponent find out what that twitch is. If you have seen our games carefully from Goa till the last game, we have made a twitch where we get more players in the box. Not a big one but a very small twitch. I think it’s effective enough."

Chennaiyin will host East Bengal in their next Indian Super League fixture, with Brison Fernandes set to join the national team the following day after the match.