ATK Mohun Bagan vs Hyderabad: Preview and Prediction
Two teams who currently are high on confidence and going through a purple patch, ATK Mohun Bagan and Hyderabad will cross swords in ‘Match 50’ of the 2021-22 season of the Indian Super League at the Fatorda Stadium on Wednesday. The winner of this match is all set to snatch pole position from current league leaders, Mumbai City.
After a fifth-place finish last season, Manolo Marquez’s Hyderabad has emerged as one of the prime contenders for a play-offs place in the ongoing league season. The Nizams are currently occupying second place in the standings having secured 15 points in 8 outings.
On the other hand, the appointment of Juan Ferrando as the head coach has rejuvenated the ATK Mohun Bagan camp. They have gathered 14 points from their 8 matches and are sitting in the fourth position.
How have they done so far?
Last season’s runners-up, ATK Mohun Bagan started their 2021/22 campaign in customary fashion, beating Kerala Blasters and East Bengal in their first two matches. However, things took a gloomy turn from there onwards, as a streak of four winless matches led to the conclusion of the Antonio Lopez Habas era.
Having said that, former Goa manager Juan Ferrando has managed to help the Mariners find their amulet back. His first game in charge produced a 3-2 win for ATK Mohun Bagan against NorthEast United, while in the previous outing, they defeated Goa by a 2-1 margin.
Hyderabad lost their campaign opener against Chennaiyin, but it remains their only defeat of the season so far. Marquez’s men defeated reigning champions Mumbai City in their second game before securing a draw against Jamshedpur.
The Nizams have won three of their last five matches against Bengaluru, NorthEast United, and Odisha while they were restricted to a couple of 1-1 stalemates by Goa and East Bengal.
Head to Head Record
This particular contest is yet to produce a winner as both occasions where these teams crossed paths previously ended in draws.
The first meeting produced a 1-1 stalemate where Manvir Singh opened the scoring for the Mariners before Joao Victor helped Hyderabad draw level. The second meeting was a more entertaining one as it produced a 2-2 scoreline with Singh and Pritam Kotal netting for ATK Mohun Bagan while Aridane Santana and Roland Alberg got their names on the scoresheet for Hyderabad.
Team News
Prabir Das could feature in ATK Mohun Bagan’s starting XI
Having accumulated all six points on offer from the last two matches, Ferrando ideally would have preferred to stick to his first-choice starting XI but he might be forced to make one change in this match.
Left-back Subhasish Bose sustained an injury in the clash against the Gaurs and had to be substituted after 40 minutes. Prabir Das replaced Bose, hardly putting a foot wrong, and could be handed a start here.
Marquez proved his tactical dexterity by changing roles of multiple players in the match against Odisha as the likes of Nikhil Poojary, Edu Garcia, and Joao Victor all excelled in their new positions.
He could be tempted to select an unchanged starting XI after a resounding 6-1 win, though there is room for one tweak. Hitesh Sharma was not particularly eye-catching against the Kalinga Warriors in his role as a central defensive midfielder and he could be replaced by Sahil Tavora.
Predicted Starting Lineups
ATK Mohun Bagan (4-2-3-1): Amrinder Singh; Ashutosh Mehta, Pritam Kotal, Tiri, Prabir Das; Deepak Tangri, Carl McHugh; Manvir Singh, Hugo Boumous, Liston Colaco; Roy Krishna.
Hyderabad (4-2-3-1): Laxmikant Kattimani; Nim Dorjee Tamang, Chinglensana Singh, Juanan, Akash Mishra; Sahil Tavora, Joao Victor; Nikhil Poojary, Edu Garcia, Aniket Jadhav; Bartholomew Ogbeche.
Prediction
Hyderabad and ATK Mohun Bagan are evenly matched on all aspects, be it head-to-head records or current run of form. In accordance with that, we have predicted a 2-2 stalemate for this clash.