Panaji: Hyderabad FC will take on Chennaiyin FC in their first home game of the 2024-25 Indian Super League (ISL) season at the Gachibowli Stadium on Tuesday evening. Both teams are eager to bounce back after disappointing results in their previous matches.
Hyderabad FC fought hard but lost 2-0 to Punjab FC in their last outing, while Chennaiyin FC suffered a 1-0 defeat to Mohammedan SC, giving the latter their first-ever ISL win last Thursday.
Hyderabad FC have shown solid defensive performances when playing against Chennaiyin FC. In their last eight ISL encounters, Hyderabad FC have conceded one or fewer goals each time, winning four of those matches and losing only twice, with two draws. The last time they allowed more than one goal against Chennaiyin was over four years ago, in a 3-1 loss on January 10, 2020.
Chennaiyin FC have been in good scoring form in their away games, having found the back of the net in each of their last four away fixtures. This is a big improvement from their previous four matches, where they were unable to score. Their current run indicates that they will put pressure on Hyderabad FC’s defense. The last time Chennaiyin FC had a longer away scoring streak was from January 2020 to February 2023, with goals in 16 consecutive away matches.
Hyderabad FC head coach Thangboi Singto is hoping to draw inspiration from last season, when his team defeated Chennaiyin FC. He praised the team’s unity and hard work in training and is optimistic about their chances at home.
“I can see the boys have really gelled in training over the last few weeks. So far, we’ve only played away games, but now we’re at home. Last season, Chennaiyin was the only team we beat, and I hope we can do it again. It won’t be easy, though, as they have strong foreign players and improved Indian players. But all we can do is train hard and keep trying,” said Singto.
Chennaiyin FC head coach Owen Coyle admitted that while the team has started this season better than last, there’s still room for improvement.
“I’d love to be sitting here with six points, for sure. But we have three, which is better than where we were last year. Six was definitely possible,” Coyle said. “We have to take that setback and bounce back quickly,” he added.
Hyderabad FC and Chennaiyin FC have faced each other 10 times in the ISL, with both teams winning four games each. Two matches have ended in draws, making this upcoming clash highly competitive.
