ISL 2017: Bengaluru FC coach Roca set to rotate squad in derby game against Chennaiyin

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Bengaluru FC coach Albert Roca (Image: ISL)

ISL table toppers Bengaluru FC host Chennaiyin at the Kanteerava Stadium on Sunday in what is billed as a south Indian derby. Having played five games each, Chennai are three points behind the league leaders and Roca is aware of the danger they pose but will still rotate his squad since they play another game (against Jamshedpur FC at home) on Thursday.

"I will do some rotation tomorrow since we have another big game in five days," Roca said. John Johnson is expected to return to the starting lineup having sat out the away fixture in Pune in midweek.

"We have to manage as best as we can to use the best players to win. Believe me, the players who are playing do not want to rest."

Chennaiyin are also a team that play attacking football and the Spanish coach believes it will not be as easy as the first two home fixtures when the Blues beat Mumbai City and Delhi Dynamos.

"I expect a very tough game," Roca said. "They have shown that they are very competitive - especially against Kolkata where they won at the last minute (Jeje Lalpekhlua scored the winner in injury time to make it 3-2). You can see that they have very good players and they are very competitive.

"They have a good defence with big central defenders like [Henrique] Sereno who is also very good in set-pieces and their right-back Inigo Calderon from Spain comes from a very good background.

"It's going to be difficult for us. And also in attack we know how difficult it is to stop Jeje in the final third. And at no.10 they can play [Jaime] Gavilan or Jude Nworuh. So they have a good balance."

Roca has informed his players that it is a derby

Chennai coach John Gregory had stressed on the importance of the game being a derby and Roca has also been made aware of the fact that it is a south Indian derby - even if some of his players were not.

"In Pune the West Block fans told me the same thing: 'Coach, we need to win that game and this is important because it's a derby.'

"Okay, some players don't know but I'll explain it to them and it should give them that extra motivation."

Bengaluru will be without injured assistant Cuadrat

When asked about any injuries in the squad, Roca quipped that his assistant Carles Cuadrat would not be available.

"My assistant Carles got an injury," Roca said while laughing. "He had an infection in his knee and he's in the hospital. He had a surgery. He's a little bit down because he wanted to help us. He was not there with us in Pune and he won't be here either tomorrow."

Carles Cuadrat (L) is the man behind Bengaluru FC's success in set-pieces (Image: ISL)

Cuadrat has been instrumental in Bengaluru's goals from set-pieces. The Spaniard has been credited with drawing up plans which were well executed by the Blues on a number of occasions this season.

"He's very professional," Roca continued. "He sent us the plans for set-pieces. We'll still follow his plans. He's been very good for us and we hope he'll recover as quickly as possible. But among the players we have the whole squad available."

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