GUWAHATI, Feb 24 - In the final match of the league phase of the ISL, hosts NorthEast United FC will square off against Chennaiyin FC at the Indira Gandhi Athletic Stadium in Sarusajai here tomorrow.
It is a match of academic interest only for the hosts as they are sitting in the ninth position in the 10-team championship with 13 points from 17 outings. However, a win will take their opponent to the third spot.
The Chennai team is in the fourth position with 28 points from 17 matches while Bengaluru FC occupy the third position with 30 points after completing the preliminary stage.
A lot would depend on Owen Coyle�s plans and whether he would look to hand an opportunity to his fringe players. Lucian Goian, Rafael Crivellaro and Nerijus Valskis have picked up three yellow cards this season and one more in the final league game would mean that they miss the first leg of the play-offs. It is highly unlikely that Coyle will take that risk by fielding them on Tuesday.
It has been a disappointing campaign for NorthEast as they failed to get going after a good start. Injuries to key players like Asamoah Gyan, Kai Heerings didn�t help as they struggled to find the back of the net.
