Hyderabad are different than last year, we're mindful: Des Buckingham

Des Buckingham also spoke about forward Jorge Pereyra Diaz and the firepower around him.

Mumbai City FC and Hyderabad FC are gearing up for an electrifying clash in the ISL 2023-24 season. The Islanders had a tough outing with a 6-0 defeat to Al Hilal in the AFC Champions League, but their performance in this ISL season has been nothing short of spectacular.

On the flip side, the Nizams find themselves at the bottom of the league table, having lost all three of their ISL matches this season. However, with Hyderabad on the road in this fixture, the question arises, whether they can pull off an impressive away win against the ISL powerhouse Mumbai City FC.

Let’s take a look at what head coach Des Buckingham and midfielder Nasser El Khayati has to say before the game:

Thoughts on the game

Mumbai City FC will play their next ISL game after almost a fortnight. After a disappointing loss against Al Hilal in the AFC Champions League, the team is eager to secure the top position in the ISL league table.

Des Buckingham in the pre-match press conference highlighted, “We are looking forward to getting back and playing in the Indian Super League. We had a strong start to the season (domestic), won two games and drawn one. We have put ourselves in a strong position already. We need to pick up where we left off last year.”

“But we are also mindful, Hyderabad are a different team than what they were last year. Similar to us, they have had changes and they are still finding their way. But, they have played very well in the three games they have played so far,” the tactician shed light on the danger the Hyderabad team poses.

Not too late

Nasser El Khayati, the Dutch midfielder, joined The Islanders a bit later than his teammates. When asked about how he settled into the squad, he replied, “Well quite good, to be honest.”

“I came here and I felt very welcomed by the boys, the coach and staff. Especially I had some conversations with the coach also in my initial days, and that helped a lot. Obviously when you join later, it's always difficult to find your place and to settle in and to get going. But now I am in my fifth week and I am feeling better, ready to help the team,” he added.

Jorge Pereyra Diaz in great form

The Islanders can be assured when it comes to their attack, thanks to the perfect poacher, Jorge Pereyra Diaz, in the attacking third. This talisman has already netted four goals in the ISL 2023-24 season and appears to be unstoppable this year.Des Buckingham addressed, “I think it’s three games into the season and when I put that into context, this time last season, we scored the same amount of goals after three games. We conceded the same amount of goals. But, we are two points better off this season than we were last time, so we are already in a better position.”

“At the moment, those chances have fallen to Jorge and he has taken full advantage of converting those chances which we are very happy about. I know that he is very keen to continue to do so as we all are. But, we also know we have got a lot of firepower in and around him,” the tactician emphasised.

First home match for El Khayati

El Khayati missed the opportunity to play at the Mumbai Football Arena last year while he was with Chennaiyin FC. The midfielder expressed his admiration for the enthusiastic fans at MFA during the Islanders' match against Kerala Blasters.

He stated, “I liked it. It was quite a little bit of an English atmosphere and I used to play in England. It was quite good, quite impressive regarding what the coach just said about the fans and hopefully it remains like this in every home game because we need them.”