Hyderabad FC head coach Thangboi Singto is looking forward to his side's preparation as they get ready to take on Mumbai City FC in the Indian Super League (ISL) at the Mumbai Football Arena, in Mumbai, on Saturday.

The Yellow and Black faced a tough beginning in the league, suffering three consecutive defeats and still seeking their first points of the season. Now, they are set to go up against another formidable opponent, Mumbai City FC.

Notably, Hyderabad FC has a strong recent record against the Islanders, boasting two wins and three draws in their last five league encounters. Head coach Singto is determined to shift the team's focus towards the future, leaving behind past results. He holds a strong belief that his team has the potential to replicate their prior success against Mumbai City FC.

“We just played one home game and another away match is beckoning us. That's football, and we have to accept it. In the last game (against Chennaiyin FC), I think we deserved to get at least one point. We had the chance to equalize but could not quite do so,” Singto said in the pre-match press conference.

“Well, we can see that Mumbai is a good team. But, if you see the history and the stats, it’s even-steven. We, as much as possible, would like to forget the last three matches and go forward. I know Mumbai will be confident that they are a good team. We have come up again as a team after going down. The training has been good and the boys are responding well,” he added.

All three defeats have been by a narrow margin for Hyderabad FC. They lost 2-1 against East Bengal FC and 1-0 against both Jamshedpur FC and Chennaiyin FC. They were not outplayed in any of these matches. However, their primary concern is their ability to score, as they have managed to net only one goal in three games.

“These days statistics are easily available because we have a lot of people working on that and of course, the ISL is there and they have a lot of mediums to get the stats, but I think whatever there is, we have to go on the field and make the players understand our tactics. I think we have to improve on the weak areas. I think we scored just once in three games and so that is where we have to make the difference,” said the Hyderabad FC head coach.

Further addressing the weak areas Singto stated, “Whatever tactical presentation we have done is in the past when the players take the field. We are in this together, but once the whistle blows, the players are on their own and they have to take up the responsibility. We have tried to improve on our weak areas- we have only scored one goal in three matches- and now, the results have to show.”

Hyderabad FC's goalkeeper, Gurmeet Singh, accompanied head coach Thangboi Singto in the pre-match press conference.

Singh remained focused ahead of the important match on Saturday, and he believes that they can secure a positive result as long as they maintain their focus on the game.

“We are working hard for the game. It will not be an easy game because it is an away game. However, we will work hard for the game,” he said.

"It is always very difficult to play against Mumbai City FC because they are very tactically sound. I think if we focus on our game we will get a positive result,” Singh commented.

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Mumbai City FCHyderabad FC2023-2024 Thangboi Singto