Aiming to move back to the top of the table, Hyderabad FC travels to Kanteraava Stadium to face Bengaluru FC.
The Blues registered a narrow 1-0 win against Jamshedpur FC while the Nizams comfortably beat East Bengal 2-0 in their last match.
BFC vs HFC Match Details
Date: Saturday, 23 December 2022
Time: 19:30 (IST)
Venue: Sree Kanteraava Stadium, Bangalore
BFC vs HFC Match Preview
Danish Farooq’s fifth-minute strike on the break was enough to hand Bengaluru FC all three points in the 1-0 win against Jamshedpur FC, ending their losing run of two games in ISL. The Blues could have added more to the tally with five shots on target but winning the match with a clean sheet is what mattered at the end. Coach Simon Grayson will be happy to see his side dominate almost the entirety of the game even though the victory came against a struggling side. Six out of 10 points gathered this season have come against teams placed lower than them. With the holders Hyderabad FC arriving in their backyard next, Bengaluru FC have now to make their mark against the top six sides. They have only managed three points in six such meetings this campaign. The reverse fixture against the Nizams also ended in a defeat. A massive nine points gap separates them from the top six and any more downfall heading into the second half of the season could derail their chances further. The Blues are hoping to build the right momentum from their victory in the last game to achieve some consistency in their display. The 1-0 win in the Durand Cup earlier this year could also provide inspiration for this clash in which Bengaluru FC have failed to win for the last two seasons in the ISL.
Hyderabad FC seems to have got their groove back with back-to-back wins in ISL. The latest was the 2-0 triumph over East Bengal at home. Mohammad Yasir found the back of the net for the third time this season while Javier Siverio got his second in the 85th minute to wrap up the victory by coming on as a substitute. It came after the Nizams picked up a 3-1 victory in Chennai following uncharacteristic losses to ATK Mohun Bagan and Kerala Blasters last month. With these results, the holders also restored their hunt for the top of the table. The two points gap with league leaders Mumbai City makes the duel an interesting one to watch in the second half of the season. It is a two-horse race for the ISL Winners Shield this season Without any major upsets. Manolo Marquez’s side wishes to continue their winning momentum with an easy schedule to close down the year. Hyderabad FC will face eighth-placed Bengaluru FC and bottom-side NorthEast United in the next couple of games. It will go down as a shock if they fail to take maximum points out of these games ahead of the new year. The Nizams will also wish star striker Bartholomew Ogbeche finds his scoring boot in this fixture having scored four goals and delivered two assists in 11 meetings against the Blues.
Recent Form
BFC: WLLWL
HFC: WWLLW
BFC vs HFC Predicted Lineups
BFC: Gurpreet Singh Sandhu; Namgyal Bhutia, Sandesh Jhingan, Aleksandar Jovanovic, Parag Srivas; Suresh Singh, Javi Hernandez, Danish Farooq; Roshan Singh, Roy Krishna, Sunil Chhetri
HFC: Gurmeet Singh; Nikhil Poojary, Onei Onaindia, Chinglensana Singh, Akash Mishra; Joao Victor, Hitesh Sharma; Mohammad Yasir, Joel Chianese, Holicharan Narzary; Bartholomew Ogbeche
BFC vs HFC Dream11 Team Prediction
GK: Gurmeet (5.5)
DEF: Roshan (8.5), Sana (7.5), Jhingan (9), Mishra (8)
MID: Yasir (9), Javi (9), Victor (9), Narzary (8.5)
FW: Ogbeche (8), Krishna (9)
Vice-captain: Javi Hernandez
Captain: Mohammad Yasir
Stay tuned to Fantasy Football for upcoming matches.
