Mumbai City Vs Hyderabad Preview: Can Nizams stop high-flying leaders?

The Islanders will go eight points clear at the top with a win on Saturday.

Indian Super League table-toppers Mumbai City FC will face Hyderabad FC at the GMC Stadium in Bambolim on Saturday evening. The Islanders have secured eight victories and a solitary draw in their last nine games. This is their joint-longest unbeaten streak of all-time, clearly indicating that Sergio Lobera has taken the club several notches higher.

On the other hand, Manolo Marquez has rather unexpectedly turned things around for Hyderabad FC. The Nizams are coming on the back of two consecutive victories in which they scored four goals each. Hyderabad are no pushovers this season, but arguably Mumbai’s most convincing victory of the season came against them. Both the teams look to adopt a similar possession-based style of play and the Islanders definitely prefer playing against such sides.

The Stakes

The Islanders headed into the halfway mark of the season with a five-point lead at the top of the table. The team have gradually adapted to Lobera’s philosophy and look adept at implementing it consistently. Moreover, a morale-boosting win over ATK Mohun Bagan holds them in good stead for the forthcoming challenges in the league. The incredible squad depth and versatility of the players is reaping the desired results now.

There is a slight apprehension that the metropolis club might have peaked too early this season. However, Lobera has maintained the necessity to keep the team’s head down and continue working towards perfecting their style of play. Fixtures are going to be quite congested as we move into the second half of the campaign. Hence, sides will probably be more prone to dropping points. Mumbai need to ensure that they consolidate their lead at the summit. Hence, the team will desire nothing less than a victory against Marquez’s men.

Meanwhile, Hyderabad will be aiming for an upset and certainly have the caliber to do so. However, they occupy the fourth spot with a narrow one-point lead over fifth-placed Chennaiyin FC. The fourth and eighth-ranked teams are separated by only two points in the standings. Hence, the team stand to lose a lot of ground through a defeat in the upcoming match. Hyderabad’s performances have been one of the more pleasant surprises in the ISL this season. Marquez deserves credit for dealing with a host of injury concerns and appropriately instilling his style of play within the team.

However, the team’s consecutive losses against Mumbai, Kerala Blasters and FC Goa in December massively dented their campaign. The Nizams have bounced back with a couple of convincing wins, but they cannot afford to fall into the vicious trap of regular defeats again. The think-tank of the team will obviously be aware of the same and will put their best efforts to prevent Mumbai from claiming the three points again.

Team News

Sergio Lobera will have a full fit squad at his disposal. Ahmed Jahouh will come back into the scheme of things after serving a one-match suspension against ATK Mohun Bagan.

On the other hand, Nikhil Poojary had missed the last match against NorthEast United and is all set to miss the next one too. Along with him, Souvik Chakrabarti and Fran Sandaza will be the other absentees as confirmed by Manolo Marquez. However, the Nizams will have one positive going into the game with Roland Alberg, the new signing, who could play a few minutes.

Head-to-Head

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

The teams have faced each other thrice before and the Islanders have won two games, whereas one match resulted in a draw.

Predicted Lineups

Mumbai City: Amrinder (GK); Ranawade, Fall, Santana, Mandar; Jahouh, Borges; Raynier, Boumous, Bipin; Ogbeche.

Hyderabad FC: Kattimani (GK); Rai, Chinglensana, OnaIndia, Mishra; Hitesh, Victor; Yasir, Narzary, Chianese; Aridane..

Man to Watch

Bartholomew Ogbeche (Mumbai City)

Bartholomew Ogbeche’s influence had faded slightly due to Adam le Fondre’s promotion as the first-choice striker for Mumbai. However, the Nigerian has made a solid return to the lineup through crucial goals in the last two encounters. Ogbeche netted late against Bengaluru FC to steer the team to three points.

Subsequently, he started the all-important match against ATKMB and struck the winner in 69th minute to help Mumbai collect perhaps their most instrumental victory of the campaign. Having stormed into an inspiring run of form, Ogbeche looks set to play a bigger part for the Islanders in the second half of the season.

Liston Colaco (Hyderabad FC)

Liston Colaco has by far been the most talented emerging star of the season. The lanky winger’s fantastic cameo against NorthEast is probably a sign of the performances to expect from him going ahead. Coming on as a substitute, Colaco scored two skillful goals to seal the deal for his team on the night.

The winger has largely been used in short bursts in games until now. However, the former FC Goa player might well be inducted into the starting XI more often, if he continues to deliver similar performances. For starters, the 22-year-old should look to put up a statement display against the table-toppers.

Did You Know?

• Mumbai have conceded the joint-least number of goals along with ATK Mohun Bagan this season (4).
• Having setup five goals in eight games, Hugo Boumous tops the assists chart in ISL 2020-21.
• Both Sergio Lobera and Manolo Marquez have coached Spanish club Las Palmas in the past.

Telecast

The match between Mumbai City FC and Hyderabad 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.