Preview: Hyderabad, Jamshedpur FC meet in battle for spot

The Nizams are yet to a game against the Men of Steel in five matches.

Bolstered by the arrival of Daniel Chima Chukwu in their already lethal attacking arsenal, Jamshedpur FC will look to continue snapping at Kerala Blasters' heels at the top of the table, when they take on Hyderabad FC in the 2021-22 Indian Super League at the Athletic Stadium in Bambolim on Monday.

Jamshedpur, placed second in the points table with 19 in their kitty from 11 games, added striker Chima to their ranks on Saturday. The Nigerian moved to Jamshedpur from SC East Bengal where he scored two goals.

The Men of Steel are one point adrift of league leaders Kerala Blasters who play on Sunday but a win on the morrow would keep them very much in the fray for a top-spot and if Kerala drop points, the Men of Steel could regain pole position.

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The Stakes

Jamshedpur

Jamshedpur had to dig deep to get past wooden spooners SC East Bengal in their last game, Ishan Pandita once again coming off the bench to score the winner. But Owen Coyle won't be too worried as his men have looked like a well-oiled machine and Greg Stewart has been magical. Stewart was brilliant in their last game as well and the Scotsman can find a good foil in box striker Chima in the days to come as the Nigerian has to serve a mandatory quarantine period now.

"It will take more of the same, the hard work and the performances on the field. We have to continue to replicate those standards. If we do that we can show and we have shown that we can stand toe-to-toe with anyone. There’s certainly a lot of hard work ahead of us but we are looking forward to it," Owen Coyle said ahead of the game.

"It will take us being at our very best. Hyderabad are one of the top teams in the division and they have some wonderful players with a head coach like Manolo who I hold in very high regard," Coyle added, praising Monday's opponents.

Jamshedpur have also scored 11 goals via set pieces, the joint highest in the league along with Bengaluru FC (11). Hyderabad, meanwhile, have had their set-piece woes, leaking seven of their 11 goals from dead ball situations.

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Hyderabad FC

For Hyderabad, coach Manolo Marquez would be hoping his team can get back to winning ways after enduring a winless spell of three games. Hyderabad missed talisman Bartholomew Ogbeche in the last outing due to suspension and with Javier Siverio also scoring goals, it will be a good headache for Marquez ahead of Monday.

"Ogbeche is the top-scorer in the league. But Siverio was the best player for us in the last game. Maybe I have to put them together tomorrow, we will see. We don't have too many players who score goals so maybe we have to look to play both," the coach said.

On Jamshedpur FC, he said, "Jamshedpur is a very physical team. They have the best player in the championship, Greg Stewart. It is a very tough game."

Team News

Hyderabad FC will have Bartholomew Ogbeche available for selection after serving his one-match suspension. It remains to be seen if Aniket Jadhav starts the game. Halicharan Narzary remains sidelined with a long-term injury.

Jamshedpur FC recently signed Daniel Chima from SC East Bengal. Whether he plays in this game remains to be seen. Owen Coyle's side are also missing Komal Thatal, who is still recovering, for this game while Farukh Choudhary is out for the season.

Head-to-head

Jamshedpur FC and Hyderabad FC have met five each in Indian Super League history. The former lead the H2H record with one win, while four games between these two teams have ended in draws.

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Predicted XI

Hyderabad FC: Laxmikant Kattimani (GK); Asish Rai, Chinglensana Singh, Juanan, Akash Mishra; Joao Victor, Hitesh Sharma; Nikhil Poojary, Edu Garcia, Aniket Jadhav; Bartholomew Ogbeche.

Jamshedpur FC: Pawan Kumar (GK); Laldinliana Renthlei, Eli Sabia, Peter Hartley, Ricky Lallawmawma; Jitendra Singh, Mobashir Rahman; Seiminlen Doungel, Boris Thangjam; Greg Stewart, Jordan Murray.

Did You Know?

• Hyderabad FC have 190 crosses after 11 games, the most in the division.
• Hyderabad FC have the second-worst record when it comes to fouls with 171 infringements in 11 matches.
• Jamshedpur have never lost against Hyderabad FC, with one win and the last four ending as draws.

Telecast

The Hyderabad FC vs Jamshedpur FC match will be played at the GMC Athletic Stadium in Bambolim on January 17 (Monday). The game will be telecast live on the Star Sports Network. The match will also be live streamed on the Disney+Hotstar platform and the JioTV app.

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