Odisha FC face a crunching test against holders Hyderabad FC at Kalinga Stadium to keep themselves in the race for the playoffs.
The Juggernauts played out a 1-1 draw against fellow playoff contenders FC Goa whereas the Nizams also clinched a draw in the top-of-the-table clash against Mumbai City FC.
OFC vs HFC Match Details
Date: February, 10 February 2023
Time: 19:30 (IST)
Venue: Kalinga Stadium, Bhubaneshwar
OFC vs HFC Match Preview
Two successive draws for Odisha FC in the ISL have made them hover close to the playoff spots with just a point separating them from sixth-placed Bengaluru FC at the moment. Therefore, sharing the point earlier in the week against fellow contenders FC Goa was not a costly one. The Juggernauts had to come from behind to get the result after going 1-0 down in only the second minute of the game. Star striker Diego Mauricio has found his scoring boots lately as he bagged his 10th of the campaign with the equalizer two minutes before half-time. With three games to play, Josep Gombau’s side had to pick up a win somewhere to boost themselves in the chase for the playoffs. They are without one since early January. Facing second-placed Hyderabad FC next will not be a stroll in the park and a loss in this game can prove to be a major disadvantage. However, Odisha FC are going to face the league’s bottom two in the final pair of games so they feel they are in a better position to grab one of the slots in the top six at the end of the league phase.
While the 1-1 draw with table-toppers Mumbai City FC did not give them enough mileage in their chase for the Winners Shield, Hyderabad FC are happy to snap the 11-game winning streak of the opposition. The Nizams are still seven points behind the Islanders so aiming for the top spot is now mathematically difficult for them. But with the point shared, both of them have now qualified for the playoffs in March. As a result, Manolo Marquez’s side are thinking about defending their ISL title instead. The opportunity is now to build on their eight-game unbeaten streak in the last four games left to play in the league phase. Hyderabad FC have won their last four away games, scoring eleven and conceding just two, since their 1-0 loss away against ATK Mohun Bagan in November last year. They are looking for their fifth straight-away win now having not lost against Odisha FC in the last five meetings. The reverse fixture also went in their favor with Mohammad Yasir scoring the only goal of the match in the fifth minute.
Recent Form
OFC: DDLLW
HFC: DWDWW
OFC vs HFC Team News
Left-back Sahil Panwar will serve a one-match ban after his second booking in the last match. Denechandra Meitei will take his place in the starting eleven.
Hyderabad FC will also have their left-back unavailable for this game with Akash Mishra suspended after reaching the limit of yellow cards in a season. Manoj Mohammed is set to make his first appearance since the second game of the season.
OFC vs HFC Predicted Lineups
OFC: Amrinder Singh; Shubham Sarangi, Narender Gahlot, Carlos Delgado, Denechandra Meitei; Nandhakumar Sekar, Thoiba Singh, Saul Crespo, Isak Vanlalruatfela; Pedro Martin, Diego Mauricio.
HFC: Gurmeet Singh; Nikhil Poojary, Odei Onaindia, Nim Dorjee, Manoj Mohammed; Borja Herrera, Hitesh Sharma; Mohammad Yasir, Joel Chianese, Rohit Danu; Bartholomew Ogbeche.
OFC vs HFC Dream11 Team Prediction
GK: Gurmeet (6.5)
DEF: Poojary (8), Delgado (8.5), Onaindia (8)
MID: Yasir (9), Crespo (8.5), R Fernandes (8.5), Sekar (9)
FW: Herrera (7.5), Ogbeche (8.5), Mauricio (9)
Vice-captain: Bartholomew Ogbeche
Captain: Diego Mauricio
Stay tuned to Fantasy Football for upcoming matches.
