East Bengal face off against Hyderabad FC for the group stage opener of the Kalinga Super Cup 2024 in Bhubaneshwar.
EBG vs HYD Match Details
Date: Tuesday, 9 January 2024
Time: 14:00 (IST)
Venue: Kalinga Pitch 1, Bhubaneshwar
EBG vs HYD Match Preview
East Bengal ended the first half of the ISL season in the eighth spot just three points away from a playoff place. Their last two results in the league were particularly impressive, halting Shield holders Mumbai City and AFC Cupper Odisha FC to goalless draws. Impressively, the Red and Golds kept a clean sheet in five consecutive games even though they failed to score in the last three. East Bengal will now enter the Kalinga Super Cup carrying a rich vein of form and hoping to replicate their dream run to the Durand Cup final last year. While they failed to end their 11-year wait for a trophy, Carles Cuadrat’s men will give a shot at this mid-season cup competition that will earn them a place in the AFC Champions League 2. However, the challenge for the side will be stiffer with the teams able to use all their foreign contingent in the contest. East Bengal will face Hyderabad FC, I-league side Sreenidi Deccan and arch-rivals Mohun Bagan Super Giant in Group A of the Kalinga Super Cup 2024. The Torch Bearers will face Hyderabad FC in the opener whom they faced in the group stages in the last edition too having secured their first win over them in eight overall meetings in the ISL this season.
That affair in the 2023 Super Cup ended in a thrilling 3-3 draw between the sides with Abdul Rabeeh’s smashing late winner saving the day for Hyderabad FC. The Nawabs will wish for similar heroics to save them again going through a difficult campaign both on and off the pitch. Hyderabad FC sits bottom of the table without a victory and just four points earned from the first 11 games of the season. Their solidity of not leaking more than one goal in games was also broken in two heavy defeats to Odisha FC (3-0) and Jamshedpur FC (5-0) at the end of 2023. The on-field dilemma resulted from the financial crunch the club is suffering which has resulted in three of their foreigners and now coach Connor Nestor left the club over unpaid wages. With the transfer ban also implemented on them and a delay in announcing their new investors, Hyderabad FC have little faith in performing with the right mentality in the Super Cup 2024. Facing two Kolkata giants and a fellow club from their city although a well-run one, the Nawabs are fearing for the worst. The foreigners leaving also puts them at a disadvantage in the tournament with the transfer window being dysfunctional for them to call in replacements.
EBG vs HYD Recent Form
EBFC: DDDWD
HFC: LLDLL
EBG vs HYD Team News
Lalchungnunga and Naorem Mahesh Singh have left for the national team camp preparing for the Asian Cup in Qatar. In their place, East Bengal could bring in Jose Pardo and PV Vishnu in the starting XI. For Hyderabad FC, Nikhil Poojary is out for the same reason while three foreigners - Oswaldo Alanis, Felipe Amorin and Jonathan Moya have terminated their contracts.
EBG vs HYD Predicted Lineups
East Bengal FC:
Prabhsukhan Gill; Nishu Kumar, Jose Pardo, Hijazi Maher, Mandar Dessai; Nandha Kumar, Borja Herrera, Saul Crespo, Souvik Chakraborty, PV Vishnu; Cleiton Silva
Hyderabad FC:
Gurmeet Singh; Alex Saji, Chinglensana Singh, Nim Dorjee, Mark Zothanpuia; Joao Victor, Sahil Tavora; Mohammed Yasir, Petteri Pennanen, Abdul Rabeeh; Joe Knowles
EBG vs HYD Head-to-Head (all competitions)
Played - 8
EBFC won - 1
Drawn - 3
HFC won - 4
EBG vs HYD Dream11 Team Prediction
East Bengal are favorites to come up with all three points in the Super Cup 2024 opener against Hyderabad FC.
EBG vs HYD Dream11 Top picks
Captain Pick: Cleiton Silva
Vice-captain Picks: Saul Crespo
Others: Joao Victor, Nandha Kumar
Our top pick for EBFC vs HFC is Cleiton Silva who has 5 goals in 10 ISL appearances for East Bengal this season.
EBG vs HYD Dream11 Team Suggestion
GK: Gill (8)
DEF: Mandar (8.5), Sana (7), Pardo (8)
MID: Yasir (8.5), Victor (9), Crespo (9), B Herrera (8.5)
FW: Knowles (9), C Silva (9), Nandha (8)
Captain: Cleiton Silva
Vice-captain: Saul Crespo
Stay tuned to Fantasy Football for upcoming ISL matches.
