Hyderabad FC shows no sign of stopping as they welcome the struggling Chennaiyin FC team at Gachibowli for the first home game of 2023 in ISL.
The Nizams got better off FC Goa 3-1 to start the new year with a bang but Marina Machans failed to improve their form as they could only draw 2-2 with tenth-placed Jamshedpur FC.
HFC vs CFC Match Details
Date: Thursday, 12 January 2023
Time: 19:30 (IST)
Venue: GMC Athletic Balayogi Stadium, Gachibowli
HFC vs CFC Match Preview
A Bartholomew Ogbeche hat-trick in the 3-1 win over FC Goa gave Hyderabad FC the ideal start to the new year. The Nigerian showed the scoring appetite in the game he is known for but missed largely this campaign after acclaiming the golden boot in the last one. It was a welcoming sight for the Nizams, desperate to see their lethal number nine finding goals again. Ogbeche has now scored the most number of hat-tricks in the ISL with four. The victory also showed the same fighting spirit of Hyderabad FC in not backing down even at a point the Gaurs matched things up. Such performance boosts their chances to go all guns blazing for the remainder of the season and secure the Winners Shield position at the end. Manolo Marquez’s side started their current five-game winning streak in the ISL with a 3-1 victory over Chennaiyin FC in the reverse fixture. They are the opposition again in this clash to continue that streak in the first home game of the new year. Hyderabad FC have collected 31 points from 13 games and will go top of the table with six games more to play before the playoffs.
Chennaiyin FC have managed to conjure only a win in the last six matches with two draws and a loss in the last three. Although the performances have been far from disappointing, the results did not followed suite. The reason could be the Marina Machans incapability of keeping opposition attack at bay as they kept only one clean sheet in their 12 games. That came in the 1-0 win against East Bengal back in November last year. Since then they have conceded 21 goals. Chennaiyin FC won only twice in the last four away games but have not won a single battle against the top six since beating ATK Mohun Bagan in their opening match of this season. The 2-2 draw against Jamshedpur FC to start off the year also piled up the misery. The tenth-placed side went 2-0 up with an hour left to play before Vincy Barretto and Petar Sliskovic scored within eight minutes of each other’s strike to restore priority. Thomas Bradaric hopes that kind of mentality prevails while facing the holders Hyderabad FC on the away trip.
Recent Form
HFC: WWWWW
CFC: DLDWL
HFC vs CFC Team News
Hyderabad FC will be without midfielder Joao Victor but defender Chinglensana Singh was back in the bench from his injury for the Goa win. He is in competition with his excellent replacement Nim Dorjee to make it into the starting eleven.
Meanwhile, Chennaiyin FC are still missing the service of Abdenasser El Khayati who has been the talismanic figure for the team this season. Rahim Ali is also out. Anirudh Thapa has regained full fitness and continues in his number ten role behind in-form striker Petar Sliskovic.
HFC vs CFC Predicted Lineups
HFC: Gurmeet Singh; Nikhil Poojary, Nim Dorjee, Odei Onaindia, Akash Mishra; Hitesh Sharma, Borja Herrera; Mohammad Yasir, Javier Siverio, Holicharan Narzary; Bartholomew Ogbeche.
CFC: Samik Mitra; Ajith Kumar, Fallou Diagne, Vafa Hakhamaneshi, Aakash Sangwan; Julius Duker Edwin Vanspaul, Prasanth K, Anirudh Thapa, Vincy Barretto, Petar Sliskovic.
HFC vs CFC Dream11 Team Prediction
GK: Gurmeet Singh (6.5)
DEF: Sangwan (8.5), Onaindia (8), Mishra
MID: Yasir (9), Duker (8.5), Barretto (7.5), Narzary (9)
FW: B Herrera (7.5), Sliskovic (9), Ogbeche (8.5)
Vice-captain: Petar Sliskovic
Captain: Bartholomew Ogbeche
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