Hyderabad Vs Mumbai City Preview: Nizams aim for another upset

The Islanders will go three points clear at the top with a win.

Hyderabad FC are set to host table-toppers Mumbai City FC on Sunday afternoon at the Tilak Maidan. The Nizams are yet to taste defeat this season despite their key players being out due to injuries and are coming into the game after a solid comeback win against East Bengal.

The Islanders, on the other hand, played out a disappointing draw against Jamshedpur FC despite playing with an additional player for most part of the game. Sergio Lobera’s side would be hungry and eager to prove a point. They will aim to grab all the three points when they travel to Vasco on Sunday.

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The Stakes

Hyderabad FC have impressed everyone with their gritty defensive and counter-attacking style of play. The coaching duo of Manolo Marquez and Thangboi Singto is doing its best to get the most of Indian players from the squad and the results are there for everyone to see. 

Mumbai City FC started their ambitions afresh as the Abu Dhabi-based City Football Group announced to own a major part of the club in the summer. They roped in former FC Goa boss Sergio Lobera at the helm who is also among the most experienced coaches in the ISL.  They opted for a complete revamp in the summer and signed the likes Adam le Fondre, Bartholomew Ogbeche, Ahmed Jahouh, Hugo Boumous and Mourtada Fall among others. The team has delivered what was expected from them so far but there is plenty of room for improvement.

Mumbai City FC had a disappointing game against Jamshedpur despite creating a number of chances to score. Unfortunately, their forwards could not finish those chances and they would hope to not repeat the same thing against Hyderabad on the weekend.

Team News

The Nizams would still be without the services of Joel Chianese and Lluis Sastre as they are ruled out with long-term injuries. Fran Sandaza who was also out with injury could make an appearance from the bench against the Islanders. Among the domestic players, everyone is available for selection.

Mumbai City FC will miss the services of their experienced left-back Mandar Rao Dessai who left the bubble earlier due to personal reasons. On the other hand, Hernan Santana suffered a knock against Chennaiyin FC and is likely to miss the game. Apart from them, Lobera will have a full pool of players available for selection.

Head-to-Head

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o6hvToZhK5U

Both the teams have faced each other twice last season and Mumbai City have had an upper hand with a win and a draw apiece.

Probable XI

Hyderabad FC: Subrata (GK); Rai, Chinglensana, Onaindia, Mishra; Hitesh, Victor; Poojary, Yasir, Narzary; Santana.

Mumbai City FC: Amrinder (GK); Rakip, Fall, Mehtab, Vignesh; Jahouh, Rowllin, Boumous; Goddard, Bipin, Le Fondre.

Man to Watch

Liston Colaco

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mCm46LUdom0

The 22-year-old forward ran riots against East Bengal in the last game after his introduction on the pitch in the second-half. He was the catalyst behind the epic comeback and notched up two assists which opened the gates for Manolo Marquez’s side to script a win.

Liston is a versatile player who could play anywhere in the attacking but looking at Halicharan and Aridane’s form, he is likely to play as a right winger. He will be against another youngster Vignesh Dakshinamurthy and will test him time and again during the game.

ALSO READ: ISL: Top five biggest rivalries in the league’s history

Hugo Boumous

Hugo Boumous was one of the high-profile signings that Mumbai City FC made in the summer. The attacker had an instant impact for the Islanders notching up four assists in five games. 

Sergio Lobera would be wary of Hyderabad’s solid defensive structure and would once again rely on Boumous’ creativity to breach it.

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Did You Know?

• Hyderabad FC are one of the only two teams (along with Bengaluru FC) to remain unbeaten in the league this season. 
• Hyderabad FC have played their full quota of five foreigners only once.
• Cy Goddard has never scored a goal in his senior professional football career.

Telecast

The match between Hyderabad FC and Mumbai City FC 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.

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