Hyderabad: The Indian Super League (ISL) 2024-25 will see Hyderabad FC playing hosts to Odisha FC at the G.M.C. Balayogi Athletic Stadium here on Monday night as both sides are eyeing climbing up the league ladder to strengthen their positions in their respective first matches after the international break.
After a tough campaign last year, Hyderabad FC have shown increasingly encouraging signs by securing two victories and a draw in their seven matches thus far.
Their seven points place them at the 11th spot and with the sixth-placed Punjab FC merely five points ahead (12) of them, the home team can begin thinking towards bridging the gap with the higher-ranked opponents.
Odisha FC, positioned ninth in the table, have nine points from eight games.
Head coach Sergio Lobera has been amongst the most competitive tacticians in the competition regardless of the team that he has been at the helm of, and the Spaniard would hence want better results with consistent performances from the Juggernauts.
This away fixture gives them the opportunity to begin maximising points in the encounters coming their way.
.Hyderabad FC believe in making early inroads into the opposition’s defence, ensuring that they set the tone for the flow of the proceedings. This has resulted in them netting 43% of their goals in the opening 15 minutes of the matches in ISL 2024-25, with three out of their seven strikes so far coming in this phase of the game.
Interestingly though, Hyderabad FC play their best away from home! That explains their concerning home form, since they have not registered a victory in the previous 15 matches in their backyard.
In fact, their last win in the stadium came back in February 2023 against Mohun Bagan Super Giant by a 1-0 margin.
Odisha FC have recorded eight sequences of 10+ open play passes per game in ISL 2024-25. This is the highest such average by any team and it clearly suggests that Hyderabad FC will have to strategise through which they can secure points despite not having possession for a large chunk of the game, since Odisha FC prefer keeping the ball.
Despite having seasoned defenders like Mourtada Fall and Carlos Delgado in their ranks, Odisha FC have been unable to keep a clean sheet in any of their eight matches in ISL 2024-25 so far.
If Hyderabad FC score on Monday, it will mark only the second time that the Juggernauts would concede a goal in each of their first nine games in an ISL season since 2020-21. This is surely a record that Lobera would want to set straight soon.
Hyderabad FC head coach Thangboi Singto lauded the experience present in the Odisha FC ranks, but insisted that his side is confident going into the match.
“Odisha FC have a coach who has been a winner in Indian football. They have one of the most experienced batch of foreign players. We need to take on this game with great confidence and practice, which we have done,” Singto said.
Odisha FC head coach Lobera demanded greater efficiency from his frontline, but also assured that his team is on the right track and is uplifting their performances in certain key areas.
“We need to be clinical in the final third. However, I’m happy with the recent performance of the team since we showed improvement in some areas that we needed to improve upon,” Lobera said.
The two teams have faced each other 10 times in the ISL. Hyderabad FC and Odisha FC have won four and five games respectively, and one match resulted in a draw.
Hyderabad FC have a shining light in their defensive line in the form of Alex Saji, who holds the record of making the most blocks (14) in ISL 2024-25 by any player. His 39 clearances is the joint second most by an Indian player this term alongside Pratik Chaudhari (Asheer Akhtar – 47).
Odisha FC’s seasoned frontline will have to work a way around Saji to discover their way through to goals.
Odisha FC’s Isak Vanlalruatfela has been a dynamic presence and he may add a new feather to his cap since with 49 caps he now stands at the brink of becoming only the seventh player in the club’s history to make 50 ISL appearances for them.
Among Indian players to play for the Juggernauts, only Jerry Mawihmingthanga (12) has scored more goals for Odisha FC in the competition than Vanlalruatfela (7).
Hyderabad FC’s Abdul Rabeeh has been vigilant in terms of battling it out for his team in difficult situations.
He has contested 84 duels in ISL 2024-25, which is the second-highest among Indian players, and third highest overall, in the competition (Alberto Noguera – 107, Irfan Yadwad – 104). His performances highlight Hyderabad FC’s impressive efforts in honing young talents off late.
