ISL 2023-24: Hyderabad, Bengaluru FC aim to find winning ways

Hyderabad FC are yet to win a match in this season’s ISL

Hyderabad FC meets Bengaluru FC in their next Indian Super League 2023-24 fixture. The winners of the 2021-22 ISL Trophy have yet to win their first game of the current season. There are rising concerns about the club’s form and the upcoming game at the G.M.C Balayogi Stadium on Saturday is not going to be an easy one.

As for the visitors, Bengaluru FC is struggling to replicate the magnificent form of last season. The Blues have won only one of their opening five games of the ISL 2023-24 term. Simon Grayson’s men must start winning games to rise up in the league table before playoff qualification becomes too tough a task.

As the sides prepare for the upcoming clash where nothing less than three points will be satisfactory, here is what to look out for:

The Stakes

Hyderabad FC is in trouble. The side has not won any games in the ongoing Indian Super League season (three defeats and one draw in four matches). As the side sits at the bottom of the league table, the pressure is mounting on Thangboi Singto, head coach, to turn things around as the fans become impatient. Since the departure of Manolo Marquez and some key players, HFC looks like a shadow of its former self and the “rebuild” excuse is becoming old for poor performances.

Bengaluru FC enters the upcoming fixture against Hyderabad FC with one win in five games and a defeat in their last fixture. Losing by 3-2 against Odisha FC was a disappointing result for the Blues after having led in the game by two goals and conceding three without reply. Failing to win against Hyderabad FC will mean no wins in three games which is not the kind of form that gets one a qualification place in the ISL playoffs.

Team News

Laxmikant Kattimani continues to be unavailable for Hyderabad FC due to an injury. Bengaluru FC will miss Roshan Singh who picked up a red card against Odisha FC.

Head to Head

Total Matches Played – 8

Hyderabad FC wins – 4

Bengaluru FC wins – 1

Draws – 3

Probable Lineups

Hyderabad FC (4-2-3-1)

Gurmeet Singh (GK), Nikhil Poojary, Chinglensana Singh, Oswaldo Alanis, Vignesh Dakshinamurthy, Sahil Tavora, Joao Victor, Mohammad Yasir, Petteri Pennanen, Joseph Knowles, Aaren D’Silva

Bengaluru FC (4-3-3)

Gurpreet Singh Sandhu (GK), Namgyal Bhutia, Aleksandar Jovanovic, Slavko Damjanovic, Jessel Carneiro, Rohit Kumar, Keziah Veendorp, Suresh Singh Wangjam, Ryan Williams, Sunil Chhetri, Halicharan Narzary

Player to Watch

Petteri Pennanen (Hyderabad FC)

Petteri Pennanen is an impressive new signing at Hyderabad FC. The midfield marshall runs his socks off and loves to have the ball under his feet. He creates scoring opportunities for his teammates and is crucial to HFC’s attacking patterns. The midfielder had an 82% pass success rate and will be hoping to influence the game against BFC with his technical quality.

Keziah Veendorp (Bengaluru FC)

The battle of the midfield will be key when HFC meets BFC and whichever team dominates the centre of the field will likely get the better result. Keziah Veendorp was exceptional in the game against Odisha FC and provided a gorgeous assist for Ryan Williams’ goal. He has an incredible vision and plays penetrative through balls with ease. It will be interesting to see how he deals with Petteri Pennanen in the midfield and helps BFC dominate possession.

Did You Know?

• Hyderabad FC has won four out of the last five meetings with Bengaluru FC in the ISL.
• Keziah Veendorp represented the Netherlands U17 team at the UEFA U17 Euros in 2014
• Mohammad Yasir has the most appearances (84) for Hyderabad FC in all competitions.

Telecast

The live stream and broadcast of Hyderabad FC vs Bengaluru FC will be available on the Jio Cinema app and Sports 18 channel respectively. The kick-off is at 5:30 pm.

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