Hyderabad FC will look to continue their unbeaten run when they play their third game in 10 days, taking on Jamshedpur FC in an Indian Super League match at the Tilak Maidan in Goa on Wednesday.
Unbeaten and yet to concede a goal so far, Hyderabad do look like they are in a good place. The worry however, will be the fact that there have only two shots on target in two games. Coach Manuel Marquez will be keen to address that if the side has began the season under the new coach with two clean sheets, after having kept none in the entire sixth season.
Hyderabad and Jamshedpur also come into the game on the back of contrasting form.
Points table ahead of HFC vs JFC
| Club | Matches | W | D | L | Goals F/A | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mumbai City | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 4:1 | 3 | 6 |
| ATK Mohun Bagan | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 3:0 | 3 | 6 |
| NorthEast Utd. | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 4:3 | 1 | 5 |
| Chennaiyin FC | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2:1 | 1 | 4 |
| Hyderabad | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1:0 | 1 | 4 |
| Bengaluru FC | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2:2 | 0 | 2 |
| FC Goa | 3 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 3:4 | -1 | 2 |
| Kerala Blasters | 3 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 2:3 | -1 | 2 |
| Jamshedpur FC | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 3:4 | -1 | 1 |
| Odisha | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2:3 | -1 | 1 |
| SC East Bengal | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0:5 | -5 | 0 |
Jamshedpur have played two eventful games so far – a season opening 1-2 loss to Owen Coyle’s former side Chennaiyin FC, followed by a 2-2 draw against Odisha FC on Sunday.
Interestingly, they played both these games at the Tilak Maidan, while HFC will step foot on the ground for the first time this season.
Coyle has some highly-talented names like Amarjit Singh, Narender Gahlot, Jitendra Singh and Isaac Vanmalsawma at his disposal. The additions of Peter Hartley, Stephen Eze, Laldinliana Renthlei, Jackichand Singh and Ricky Lallawmawma bring in some solidity.
But the form of Nerijus Valskis, the top goal-scorer in the league, with three goals in his first two games, could be the biggest threat for HFC in this clash.
“For me, Jamshedpur is a strong team. They have very good players in attack, not only Nerijus Valskis. People speak about him because he is a very good centre-forward but for me they are one team who can score in all moments of the game,” Marquez said.
Hyderabad FC come into this game on the back of a goalless draw against Bengaluru FC. While Marquez’s men put in a strong performance on the night, injuries to Lluis Sastre and Joel Chianese dampened a spirited outing from the club.
Giving an update on these injuries, Marquez said, “We don’t know the exact time for recovery. Chianese has a problem with his ankle ligament. Lluis Sastre has a muscle strain. For sure, they are not playing tomorrow. But we don’t yet know how long they are out for.”
However, there were plenty of positives to take from the game, as HFC registered consecutive clean sheets and were comfortable in keeping Bengaluru’s attack at bay for most of that game.
Marquez believes that there is still a lot of room for improvement for his side.
“We showed good character in the first two games. But it’s only two games. At this moment, it’s difficult to improve in defence because; two clean sheets and not many chances conceded,” the coach said.
“But you always have to improve. I think in the final pass, in front of goal, we can do better. We have taken many shots from 25-30 yards out, but I think we can take few risks in this part of the pitch and be more dangerous,” he added.
Coyle, who is yet to taste a win with Jamshedpur, stated that they would need to respect their opponents as they know what they are capable of doing. “We are very respectful of the quality Hyderabad has. Aridane is a wonderful player. We are well aware of the threat they have. But we know if we perform the way we did in the first half (against Odisha), then we are capable of getting the three points,” Coyle stated.
“We will focus on what we can do. Bit by bit, I think we are growing up, we are getting better,” said the Scot.
On the attacking front, Jamshedpur have delivered so far, but it is their defence that has let them down. Coyle will have to see their defence stand tall if he is to notch up a win against Hyderabad.
Squads (via Indian Super League)
Hyderabad FC
Goalkeepers: Lalbiakhlua Jongte, Laxmikant Kattimani, Manas Dubey, Subrata Paul
Defenders: Akash Mishra, Asish Rai, Chinglensana Singh, Dimple Bhagat, Kynsailang Khongsit, Nikhil Prabhu, Odei Onaindia, Sahil Panwar
Midfielders: Abhishek Halder, Adil Khan, Sahil Tavora, Halicharan Narzary, Hitesh Sharma, Joao Victor, Laldanmawia Ralte, Lluis Sastre, Mark Zothanpuia, Mohammed Yasir, Nikhil Poojary, Souvik Chakrabarti, Sweden Fernandes
Forwards: Aridane Santana, Fran Sandaza, Ishan Dey, Joel Chianese, Lalawmpuia, Liston Colaco, Rohit Danu
Jamshedpur FC
Goalkeepers: Pawan Kumar, Niraj Kumar, TP Rehenesh, Raj Mahato, Vishal Yadav
Defenders: Narender Gahlot, Joyner Lourenco, Ricky Lallawmawma, Sandip Mandi, Laldinliana Renthlei, Karan Amin, Peter Hartley, Stephen Eze, Subhash Barua, Manash Protim Gogoi
Midfielders: Aitor Monroy, Alexandre Lima, Amarjit Singh, Jackichand Singh, Isaac Vanmalsawma, Mohammad Mobashir, Jitendra Singh, Gaurab, Manisana Singh, Harsha Parui, Gorachand Mamdi, Billu Teli
Forwards: Nerijus Valskis, William Lalnunfela, John Fitzgerald, David Grande, Sapam Kennedy, Bhupender Singh, Aniket Jadhav
(With PTI and ISL inputs)