Hyderabad FC will host Chennaiyin FC in Matchweek 15 of the Hero Indian Super League (ISL) at the G.M.C Balayogi Athletic Stadium, in Hyderabad, on Thursday.

The reigning Hero ISL champions have cemented their place in the top two and have been a dominant force throughout the season whereas the Marina Machans sit seventh in the league table and are fighting to book their berth in the top six.

However, the battle between these two teams will be extremely crucial to set the tone for the concluding part of the season. For Hyderabad FC, a win keeps them in the hot seat in the race for the League Winners’ Shield, and for Chennaiyin FC, the three points are a must to keep them alive in their race for the top six.

While the two teams are on a contrasting trajectory in the Hero ISL 2022-23, the one thing that the two teams share in common is the productive and clinical output of their respective strikers: Bartholomew Ogbeche and Petar Sliskovic.

The all-time leading Hero ISL goalscorer has netted six times this season and is the top scorer for Hyderabad FC this season. His Chennaiyin FC counterpart, on the other hand, has scored seven goals and is the Marina Machans' joint-top goalscorer.

Ogbeche has caught up to the Golden Boot race of late, having scored four goals in the last three matches, including a hat-trick in the previous game against FC Goa. The Nigerian has added a vital attacking and goalscoring boost in the Manolo Marquez-led side and will be a catalyst during this crucial stage of the season.

On the flip side, Sliskovic has been a massive asset for Chennaiyin FC when it comes to scoring goals. The 31-year-old has scored seven goals in his last eight matches. In the last eight outings, the striker has failed to score in only two matches.

Ogbeche

Metric

Sliskovic

13

Matches

12

12

Starts

12

1019

Minutes

988

6

Goals

7

0.53

Goals p90

0.64

1

Assists 

3

1.32

Shots on target p90

1.46

3.71

Shots p90

3.46

35.7

Shot Accuracy 

42.1

14.28

Goal Conversion

18.42

39.66

Touches p90

31.06

17.49

Attacking third touches p90

17.31

4.59

Opposition box touches p90

5.37

3

Offside

10

As seen from the table above, Sliskovic offers more presence in the opposition box and has been more clinical than Bartholomew Ogbeche this season. However, Ogbeche’s more number of touches denotes his style of playing deep and linking up with other players in the build-up play whereas Sliskovic has a traditional style of being a fox in the box.

It wouldn’t come as a surprise to see both strikers on the scoresheet as the two have been regularly finding the back of the net this season, but the two will be key in determining the fate of the two teams come the end of the ninety minutes in Thursday’s clash.