Hyderabad FC head coach Thangboi Singto is keen to change the fortunes of his team as his team takes on Odisha FC in the Indian Super League (ISL) match at the Kalinga stadium in Bhubaneshwar on Sunday.

The Yellow and Blacks find themselves bottom of the table after picking up just four points from their first nine matches and are desperately seeking their first win of the season. 

The Indian suggested that the team have been focussing on improving their level on the training pitch. 

“Coming from NorthEast United FC with a hard-fought point gave us a little bit of good feeling. If we had lost that match, it would have been difficult for us in the training sessions,” Singto said during the pre-match press conference.

“Everyone has been giving their best in terms of what we want to do as a team, in terms of preparations, in terms of what we want to achieve going forward. Lingering in the last position is not at all what we want. The fans want us to progress. We have tried again to progress on the training pitch,” he added. 

Hyderabad FC’s task doesn’t get any easier with Sergio Lobera’s team flying at the moment having progressed to the next stage in the AFC Cup while also being unbeaten in their last four matches in the ISL. Singto is expecting a very tough challenge for his side. 

“Odisha FC has a very experienced coach who has won the ISL and done well in Indian football. Their foreigners are very good and have experience in ISL. In terms of the Indians, they have players in every position who have been playing in the ISL for a very long time now,” he said. 

“They are on a high. They have reached the next stage in the AFC Cup which every club aspires to do. For us, it will be a big challenge but our players want to play against the best players who have done well in the recent past. I believe the team is ready,” he added. 

“We are going there with our heads up and hopefully we change our fortunes and have a chance to climb up the table,” he concluded. 

New games a new opportunity to win the first game: Vignesh D

Left-back Vignesh Dakshinamurthy joined Singto in the pre-match press conference and spoke about the hurt the players are experiencing due to the team’s poor form. He hinted that the team is working very hard to turn their season around. 

“From the players' point of view, we aren't really happy as the season is not going as per expectations. So, we see a new game as a new opportunity to get the first win of the season. The players are fighting on the training pitch keeping that in mind,” Vignesh said. 

“It's a new team and new teammates. The system we play is different from my previous team. I am trying to adapt to it and getting to know players,” he added. 

Vignesh who has some of his former teammates at Odisha FC expects a difficult game in Bhubaneswar for his team but believes they can get a result if they stick together and play as a team. 

“They are in good form. My past teammates Jahouh and Fall play there. They have a lot of experience in the ISL. They have good foreign as well as Indian players. We are not trying to focus on individuals. We want to work on ourselves and fight for the win,” he said. 

“It will be a tough game and we have to be prepared for everything as they will have home support and are in good form,” he concluded.