Hyderabad FC search for their first win in the Durand Cup 2023 as they take on Chennaiyin FC for an all-ISL affair.
HFC vs CFC Match Details
Date: Thursday, 10 August 2023
Time: 15:00 (IST)
Venue: Indira Gandhi Athletic Stadium, Guwahati
HFC vs CFC Match Preview
Hyderabad FC were held to a 1-1 draw with Delhi FC in their opening game of the Durand Cup. In a match lashed with heavy rain, Himanshu Jangra gave the newly promoted I-League side the lead in only the sixth minute of the match. The 2021-22 ISL champions trailed for nearly an hour then Ramhlunchhunga stunningly scored directly from a corner to end the game level. Gurmeet Singh also needed to pull some crucial saves to ensure his side take something from the match. With the condition not ideal for free-flowing football, Hyderabad FC will be happy with a point. It sets them well for the next match against Chennaiyin FC who will be taking to the pitch for the first time in the tournament. Having won more in their ISL meetings and also the only Durand Cup encounter between the two, Hyderabad FC will be optimistic to take full points in Guwahati this time. That will surely ensure them the top podium in the group.
Chennaiyin FC hopes for a change of fortune this season with coach Owen Coyle returning for his second spell at the club. Last season Marina Machans finished 8th in the ISL for the consecutive time under former manager Thomas Brdaric. The 57-year-old Scottish guided the club to an ISL final in 2019 and later won the Winners Shield with Jamshedpur FC. After a season spell in his homeland, Coyle is back in India to complete his unfinished business with the two-time ISL champions. Before the league season next month, Chennaiyin FC will hope to do well in the Durand Cup having knocked out at the quarterfinals in the last edition. Their opponents in the first match, fellow ISL side Hyderabad FC beat them 3-1 in that tournament. So, it will be no better way to kick start Coyle’s era for the second time at the club than by seeking revenge with a victory that will level them in the head-to-head record.
HFC vs CFC Head to Head
Played: 9
HFC won: 4
Drawn: 2
CFC won: 3
HFC vs CFC Predicted Lineups
HFC: Gurmeet Singh; Alex Saji, Nim Dorjee, Chinglensana Singh, Manoj Mohammed; Mohammed Yasir, Sahil Tavora, Hitesh Sharma, Aron Vanlalrinchhana; Aaren D’Silva, Ramhlunchhunga
CFC: Debjit Majumder; Ajith Kumar, Sajid Dhot, Bijay Chhetri, Aakash Sangwan; Ninthoi Meetei, Jiteshwor Singh, Farukh Choudhary, Vincy Barretto; Jordan Murray, Rahim Ali
HFC vs CFC Dream11 Team Prediction
GK: Majumder (7.5)
DEF: C Singh (8), Dorjee (7.5), Sangwan (7)
MID: Yasir (8.5), Kumar (8), Hitesh (8), Meetei (7.5)
FW: Rahim (8), Murray (8.5), D’Silva (6.5)
Vice-captain: Rahim Ali
Captain: Mohammed Yasir
