Hyderabad FC VS Kerala Blasters FC - Match Preview
19 Nov 2022 | Written By Shyam Sundar
Hyderabad FC are set to play their seventh game of the season against Kerala Blasters FC at the G.M.C Balayogi Athletic Stadium, Hyderabad. The match will kick-off at 19:30 IST. It is expexcted to be a humdinger clash between these two quality sides.
Hyderabad FC defeated Jamshedpur FC 1-0 in their last game to extend their winning streak to 5 games. Also, during this winning streak, the Nizams have conceded a grand total of 0 goals. They have been rock solid defensively and have
already kept 5 cleansheets so far this season. "Keeping clean sheets is fantastic, but we are only in matchweek six and the season is very long. Let’s see what happens." added Manolo Márquez.
Image Courtesy : ISL Media
Kerala Blasters come into this game with a dominating 3-1 home victory against FC Goa as they managed to pick up back-to-back wins. They are currently placed 6th in the table with 9 points from 6 games. Addressing the media ahead of the game, Ivan Vukomanovic added, "It is going to be nothing but two teams that want to go for three points and stay higher up the table because both of them have ambitions."
Head-to-Head:
Hyderabad FC has faced Kerala Blasters FC 7 times in the league so far. Interestingly, none of the clashes between these two sides have ended in a draw. The Nizams has an upper hand as they have 4 wins compared to Kerala Blaster's 3 wins. The last meeting between these two sides was in the finals of last season where Hyderabad FC defeated the Blasters on penalties to lift their maiden ISL trophy.
Team News:
Hyderabad FC will be without the services of star player and first choice goalkeeper Kattimani as he won't be available for the game due to an injury. They will also be without long term absentees Rohit Danu and Gurmeet Singh who are recovering from their injuries.
Image Courtesy : Laxmikant Kattimani(Instagram)
As for Kerala Blasters FC, they will have a fully fit injury-free squad up for contention against the Nizams.
Probable Lineups:
Hyderabad FC: Anuj Kumar(GK), Nikhil Poojary, Odei Onaindia, Chinglensana Singh, Akash Mishra, Hitesh Sharma, Joao Victor, Halicharan Narzary, Mohammad Yasir, Bart Ogbeche, Javier Siverio.
Kerala Blasters FC: Gill(GK), Sandeep Singh, Ruivah Hormipam, Marko Leskovic, Nishu Kumar, Jeakson Singh, Ivan Kalyuzhnyi, Sahal Abdul Samad, Rahul KP, Adrian Luna, Dimitrios Diamantakos.
Key Players:
Image Courtesy : Hyderabad FC Media
Bart Ogbeche will be the key player for Hyderabad FC. The Nigerian striker won the golden boot last season and has already scored 2 goals this season. Also, Ogbeche has a decent record against Blasters winning 5 out of the 6 times he has played against them while scoring twice.
Image Courtesy : Kerala Blasters FC Media
Ivan Kalyuzhnyi will be the key player for Kerala Blasters. Ivan has been one of the best signings of this season, having scored 4 goals in 6 games for the Blasters. His ability to launch rockets from outside the box will test the young Hyderabad FC goalkeeper.
