Mumbai City FC will travel to take on Hyderabad FC at the G.M.C. Balayogi Athletic Stadium in Hyderabad in Matchweek 20 of the Indian Super League (ISL) 2023-24 on April 1, Monday.

At the top of the table, the Islanders have accumulated 41 points from 19 games. With Mohun Bagan Super Giant, who have garnered 39 points from 18 matches breathing down their neck, Mumbai City FC cannot afford any slip-ups at this stage of the season.

They have to be wary of that against Hyderabad FC, who have embraced the tag of being giant killers lately. The Thangboi Singto-coached side brought an end to their 20-game-long winless streak with a 1-0 victory over Chennaiyin FC in their last match.

Their inexperienced Indian contingent has risen to the challenge admirably well in the second half of the season. Devoid of any senior counterparts by their side, they have bought into the ideas of Singto gradually and the outcomes of the same are gradually reflecting on the field.

Prior to the win against Chennaiyin FC, they had come back from behind to draw 2-2 against NorthEast United FC in their previous match. Similarly, a late winner by Sivasakthi Narayanan had prevented them from taking a point from their faceoff against Bengaluru FC on February 24.

It shows that they have been coming close to securing points from hard-fought contests recently, and that is a good enough reason to keep Mumbai City FC on their toes in this match.

What’s at stake?

Hyderabad FC

Hyderabad FC has not faced a loss in any of their last six games against Mumbai City FC. With two victories and four draws in the meantime, this is their third-longest such streak against any team in the competition, after NorthEast United FC (9) and Bengaluru FC (7).

The last time Hyderabad FC won successive games in the ISL was from December 2022-January 2023, when they emerged victorious in five matches in a row. Hyderabad FC has found the back of the net only nine times this season, which is the lowest amongst all teams.

Singto needs to train his teams in discovering newer goal-scoring opportunities. They have netted only once from set-pieces in this season. Meanwhile, Mumbai City FC has conceded merely twice from set-piece situations.

Will Hyderabad FC be able to unlock their defence on this front in the coming clash? The likes of Makhan Chothe have been a livewire in the opposition’s box in the last few games, and he will be hoping to inspire the Hyderabad FC frontline to breach the back of the opposition here.

Mumbai City FC

Mumbai City FC has been on an imperious run of form, especially since the league resumed from the mid-season break in January. They have won all of their last four away games, scoring nine times and conceding twice in the process.

The last time they went on a longer such stretch was from October 2022-February 2023. The Islanders have found the back of the net at least thrice in each of their previous three games in the competition. The last and the only time the Islanders went on a longer such run was a stretch of five games between November and December in 2022.

They have recorded 21 direct attacks since the start of 2024, which is the most amongst all teams in this period. Hyderabad FC has done so only 12 times – the least amongst all clubs.

The Islanders arguably have superior experience in their ranks, but they need to carefully navigate through the youthful exuberance shown by Hyderabad FC in recent times.

Key Players to Watch Out

Alex Saji (Hyderabad FC)

Alex Saji is averaging 1.6 blocks per game in the ISL since the restart in January, the highest such aggregate by any Indian player and second highest overall in the competition in this period (Ryan Edwards – 1.8); indeed, he has made 11 blocks in seven games so far in 2024.

He has averaged 35 passes per game at 74% accuracy. Alex has made six interceptions, made 24 recoveries, won 29 duels, and made 42 clearances so far this season.

He has helped the team keep one clean sheet, but has been a constant presence guarding the backline right from the centre in the past two months. His performance against the in-form Mumbai City FC frontline needs to be observed closely.

Vikram Partap Singh (Mumbai City FC)

Vikram Partap Singh has notched an expected goal tally of 3.27 in the ISL since the start of 2024, the highest such value by any Indian player in the competition in the same period. His tally of six goals since the restart is the joint most by any player in this period (also Wilmar Jordan Gil).

He has recorded nine successful dribbles, made 12 key passes, and created 14 goal-scoring chances in ISL 2023-24. Vikram has made 61 touches in the opposition’s box, made 39 recoveries, and secured a goal conversion rate of 25.93% so far. Vikram has won 55 duels and bagged nine goal contributions in total, emerging as one of the most reliable forwards for Mumbai City FC this season.

Read More

• https://www.indiansuperleague.com/news/ultimately-hard-work-paid-off-hyderabad-fcs-thangboi-singto
• https://www.indiansuperleague.com/news/hope-to-make-fans-happy-and-celebrate-the-title-mumbai-city-fcs-jakub-vojtus

Head-to-Head

Played – 9

Mumbai City FC – 2

Hyderabad FC – 2

Draws – 5

Trivia: Joao Victor (14 goal contributions) is two away from equaling Mohammad Yasir (16) as Hyderabad FC’s second-highest goal contributor after Bartholomew Ogbeche (31).

Team Talk

“We got some good results in the league after the season break in January. Our preparations went on well. We have most of our squad fit and available and we have trained well for this match,” Hyderabad FC assistant coach Shameel Chembakath said in the pre-match press conference.

“We’ve had good training sessions behind us to prepare for the game against Hyderabad. I don’t think there needs to be too much motivation for the boys. They’ve been here before, they’ve done it before, and they know what they’re doing,” Mumbai City FC head coach Petr Kratky said ahead of the game.

ISL Fantasy

Akash Mishra (4.2cr)

Has earned 60 ISL fantasy points this season

Vikram Partap Singh (3.7cr)

Bagged 19 ISL fantasy points in Matchweek 19

Makhan Chothe (3.6cr)

Has accumulated 32 ISL fantasy points in this campaign

If not registered already, fans can participate in the overall league or club-based leagues based on their preferences. Create private leagues, inviting friends and fellow football aficionados to compete. Prizes include a Sony PlayStation ®️ ️5 gaming console, EA Sports FC 24, signed club merchandise, and a Gift Card worth INR 20,000, which will be awarded to 100 winners at the end of the season. Sign up at: https://fantasy.indiansuperleague.com/

Where to Watch

Fans across the country can catch the action in English, Hindi, Bengali, and Malayalam. Fans can watch the action on linear channels like Sports18 Khel (Hindi), Sports18 1 HD (English), Sports18 3 SD (English, Hindi, Malayalam and Bengali), VH1 SD & HD (English), Surya Movies (Malayalam), News 18 Kerala (Malayalam – select matches) & DD Bangla (Bengali). Fans can also catch the action streaming Live for free on JioCinema, the home of Indian football. In addition to this, as part of FSDL’s partnership with OneFootball, ISL live streams and highlights of all matches of the upcoming 2023-24 season will be delivered across more than 190 countries.