Hyderabad FC Vs East Bengal Preview: Nizams eye top four spot

The Nizams are yet to register a defeat this season.

Defensively strong Hyderabad FC take on Indian Super League new entrants SC East Bengal at Tilak Maidan in Vasco on Tuesday.

Hyderabad are unbeaten in the league after four games, winning one and drawing three. On the other hand, SC East Bengal are yet to register a win in the competition. The game on Tuesday is expected to be a tactical battle and it will be interesting to see who comes out on top.

The Stakes

The Nizams opted for a major revamp of the squad in the summer and the move is already working for them, especially among the domestic recruits. Young players like Asish Rai, Chinglensana Singh, Akash Mishra, Hitesh Sharma, Mohammed Yasir and Liston Colaco have shown tremendous promise in the absence of key foreign stars. Moreover, Subrata Paul and Holicharan Narzary have rolled back the years and are showing glimpses of their younger selves. The team have conceded the joint least number of goals along with Mumbai City FC in the league. (2)

That said, the team are finding it difficult to convert their chances and have managed to score just three goals, out of which two have come from the spot. In order to book a place in the playoffs, their attackers will need to find the back of the net more often.

[KH_ADWORDS type="4" align="center"][/KH_ADWORDS]

Meanwhile, the Kolkata giants have made the worst-ever start by a team in their maiden season in the competition’s history, after recording only one point from a possible 12. However, their campaign has been marred by a handful of controversial refereeing decisions. East Bengal started their preparations very late after their entry into the league was confirmed in September this year. They got very little time to prepare a team and had the least time for pre-season among all the sides.  

Nonetheless, Robbie Fowler’s side are starting to get into the groove and adapting to the  pace of the league but, they have a lot of aspects to work on in order to improve.

Team News

The Nizams would be without Joel Chianese and Lluis Sastre for a considerable period of time, after both suffered injuries in their second game. All of the other players are expected to be available for selection.

East Bengal will be without Aaron Amdai-Holloway, as he is still recovering from an ankle injury, whereas former Indian international midfielder Eugeneson Lyngdoh will also miss the game due to suspension. Goalkeeper Sankar Roy is also expected to be an absentee after reportedly picking up a hamstring injury in the last game.

[KH_ADWORDS type="3" align="center"][/KH_ADWORDS]

Predicted XI

Hyderabad FC: Paul (GK); Rai, Chinglensana, Onaindia, Mishra; Hitesh, Victor; Narzary, Yasir, Liston; Aridane.

SC East Bengal: Debjit (GK); Neville, Irshad, Sehnaj; Rafique, Angousana, Steinmann, Narayan; Maghoma, Jeje, Pilkington.

Head-to-Head

Hyderabad FC and SC East Bengal are playing each other for the first time and both the teams would be eager to draw first blood.

Also Read: Indian Super League 2020-21: Five things we learned in Gameweek 5

Man to Watch

Asish Rai (Hyderabad FC)

The former Indian Arrows man has impressed everyone with his solid defensive displays in all the four games for the Nizams. He has registered nine interceptions and 19 clearances so far. He’s also contributed on the offensive front whenever presented with space down the right wing. In the game against East Bengal, he would like to better his numbers with yet another good performance.

Mohammad Irshad (SC East Bengal)

East Bengal have conceded the second-most number of goals this season. However, they managed to keep their first clean-sheet of the season against Jamshedpur FC, despite playing with 10 men for almost 70 minutes. Irshad put in a huge defensive shift, as the Red and Gold managed to hold the Men of Steel to a stalemate. Robbie Fowler would be expecting more of the same when they take the field against Hyderabad.

[KH_ADWORDS type="2" align="center"][/KH_ADWORDS]

Did You Know

• Hyderabad FC have started with their full quota of five foreigners only once this season.
• Robbie Fowler was close to signing for the then Atletico de Kolkata as a marquee player in the first season of the ISL
• Subrata Paul has kept the most number of clean-sheets in the ISL (28).

Telecast

The match between Hyderabad FC and  SC East Bengal will be telecast live on Star Sports 1 SD & HD, Star Sports 2 SD & HD (English), Star Sports Hindi 1 SD & HD, Star Sports 3 and several other regional languages. Live streaming of the match will be available on Hotstar and Jio TV.