Hyderabad: After a strong start to the Indian Super League 2022-23, Manolo Marquez’s Hyderabad FC have now failed to pick up a single point in their last two league matches. However, they will be looking to bounce back when they take on Chennaiyin FC at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Chennai this Saturday starting at 5.30pm.
Defending champions Hero ISL find themselves second in the league table going into this match, five points behind Mumbai City at the top. Marina Machans, on the other hand, is seventh and could climb to 5th place with a positive result in this match.
Thomas Brdarić’s side have proved to be one of the most unpredictable sides in the competition this season, winning two of their last four league games. They are fresh from an unfortunate loss against Odisha FC and will look to turn things around in this match.
HFC head coach Manolo Marquez praised the opponents in a press conference. “Chennaiyin have very good offensive players. They are unpredictable at times but I like the team. They are a brave team who play to win,” he said.
“They have players with a lot of experience in the ISL. The foreigners are all new, but they are playing in front of their fans and I think it will be a difficult game for us,” added the Spaniard.
Abdenasser El Khayati has been flawless in front of goal, while PetarSliskovic, VincyBarretto, Kwame Karikari, Rahim Ali and VafaHakhamaneshi have all tasted goals this season.
DebjitMajumder, Julius Düker and FallouDiagne have also been in good form and it could prove to be a tough test for Hyderabad in this game.
On the other hand, Manolo Marquez’s team is finding it difficult to score goals, having failed to find the back of the net in the last two matches. Bartholomew Ogbeche, MohmmadYasir, Joao Victor and HalicharanNarzary have all scored twice this season but have not been in top form of late.
But Gurmeet Singh’s performance in goal, well supported by a settled backline, still remains the strength of the side. Hyderabad have conceded just five goals in the entire campaign and will be hoping to silence CFC’s attackers on what promises to be an entertaining evening in Chennai.
HFC head coach Manolo, however, is positive about his team’s chances in this match. “We have very smart players who have a lot of experience in this league. We have been training quite well and we are ready for a tough game for both sides,” said the Spaniard.
Hyderabad beat Chennaiyin in the group stage of the recent Durand Cup campaign in Imphal, but Manolo expects this match to be a close contest and a treat for the fans.
The match will start at 17:30 IST on Saturday and will be telecast live on Star Sports Network with live streaming on Disney+ Hotstar and JioTV.
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