Hyderabad, 14 February : Hyderabad FC need only two points from their remaining three matches to seal their second spot in the Hero Indian Super League (ISL) 2022-23 playoffs but defending champions ATK Mohun Bagan will be wary of finding a winning streak. Will be looking forward to when these two teams clash at the GMC Balayogi Athletic Stadium on Tuesday night.
The Mariners remained in the playoff spots for most of the season, but have managed only one win in their last five games. They have somehow managed to finish in the top four but last weekend Bengaluru FC tied on points with them. However, they have one match to spare against Bengaluru FC and will be looking to increase the gap again on the table to avoid any upset in the final fixtures of the league round. They will face Hyderabad FC and Kerala Blasters before the Kolkata derby to complete their league round stage.
One of the biggest concerns for ATKMB at the moment is their lack of goal scoring. During the last five matches, they have scored only three goals – last week, they scored in a goalless draw against Jamshedpur FC – and all three goals have been scored by Dimitri Petratos. Only two teams are behind ATKMB (20) who have scored the fewest goals this season, who are at the bottom of the table. Of Bagan’s total goals, 12 goals came through the combined efforts of Petratos and Hugo Boumous. The lack of contribution from other players could prove a significant challenge for head coach Juan Ferrando, who intends to turn things around.
Mariners head coach Juan Ferrando said, To be honest, I’m thinking more about trying to get the three points to finish third. I’m not thinking if we’re out of the playoffs. , what will happen then. This is not our mindset. Our mindset is to travel to Hyderabad and get three points and fight for the third spot, he added.
Hyderabad FC and head coach Manolo Marquez will be worried after last week’s loss to Odisha FC. The defending champions conceded three goals in a match for the first time since their opening encounter against Mumbai City FC.
Their next opponent is the team that defeated them in an away match on 26 November before the result, Odisha FC. Hyderabad FC had only one shot on target in that encounter and now that they know their ISL League Shield hopes are over, they want to play more freely with the pressure off.
At the moment, every match is very difficult and there are 5-6 teams fighting for 4-5 places – and it is very difficult to play against these teams, said Manolo Marquez, head coach of the defending champions. He said, I know they are in a difficult situation now, but all football lovers in the country know that they are a very good team and they can beat all opponents. They are a good team, but if we keep our If we play to our potential, we are very difficult to beat.
These two sides have faced each other on seven occasions, with ATKMB winning three times and drawing three matches. Hyderabad FC’s only win against ATKMB came in the first leg of last season’s semi-finals.
