ATK Mohun Bagan vs Hyderabad: Preview and Prediction
In the fourth game of Matchday 8 of the 2022-23 Indian Super League season, ATK Mohun Bagan will be up against Hyderabad. The match will be played at Kolkata’s Salt Lake Stadium on Saturday.
Given the strength of their squad, ATK Mohun Bagan will not be satisfied with the start they have got in this competition. The Mariners have won three of their first six matches, and with 10 points in their account, they are occupying sixth place in the standings.
Defending champions Hyderabad, on the other hand, could not have asked for a better start for their campaign. The Nizams have won five of their first seven matches, and having accumulated 16 points already, they are placed at the top.
Current Form
ATK Mohun Bagan could not get a good start as in their first match, they went down 1-2 against Chennaiyin. However, Juan Ferrando’s men then made a comeback with a streak of four unbeaten games.
They won their next two matches against Kerala Blasters and East Bengal respectively, while in their fourth match, they held Mumbai City to a 2-2 draw. The Kolkata-based team bounced back to winning ways with a 2-1 triumph over NorthEast United, but in their last fixture, Ferrando’s men suffered a 3-0 drubbing against Goa.
Hyderabad could not get the start they wanted, as they were held to a 3-3 stalemate in their first match against Mumbai City. However, Manuel Marquez Roca’s men then embarked on a spree of five consecutive victories.
They defeated NorthEast United 3-0, before registering four consecutive 1-0 wins – against Bengaluru, Goa, Odisha and Jamshedpur. However, in their last fixture, the Nizams suffered their first defeat as they lost 0-1 to Kerala Blasters.
Head to Head Record
ATK Mohun Bagan has the upper hand on head-to-head records, but only by the slightest of margins. Of the six meetings, they have won two matches, while the Nizams have won only one fixture. The other three matches ended in draws.
The last meeting saw the Mariners securing a 2-1 victory away from home back in February. Liston Colaco and Manvir Singh scored for Ferrando’s team, while for Roca’s side, Joel Chianese was the lone scorer.
Team News
Ferrando is expected to make tactical changes to his starting XI, but one of them will be a forced switch. Finnish midfielder Joni Kauko will be out for a significant period after suffering an ACL injury. In his place, Irishman Carl McHugh is expected to be handed a start.
Besides that, we could see another change in the Mariners’ midfield. Deepak Tangri was totally off-colour in the match against Goa, and in his place, experienced campaigner Lenny Rodrigues could get an opportunity to nail his place.
After losing for the first time this season, it is expected that Roca will also make some changes to his team. We could see a tactical switch, where Bartholomew Ogbeche reverted to his role as a number 10 in Chianese’s place.
This will allow the Spanish tactician to field Javi Siverio as the out-and-out striker. Besides that, after struggling to keep up with Sahal Abdul Samad in the last match, right-back Nikhil Poojary could be replaced by Reagan Singh.
Predicted XIs
ATK Mohun Bagan (4-3-3): Vishal Kaith; Asish Rai, Pritam Kotal, Brendan Hamill, Subhasish Bose; Lenny Rodrigues, Carl McHugh, Hugo Boumous; Manvir Singh, Dimitri Petratos, Liston Colaco.
Hyderabad (4-2-3-1): Anuj Kumar; Reagan Singh, Odei Onaindia, Chinglensana Singh, Akash Mishra; Joao Victor, Sahil Tavora; Mohammad Yasir, Bartholomew Ogbeche, Halicharan Narzary; Javi Siverio.
Prediction
ATK Mohun Bagan might have a better head-to-head record, but if we judge the two teams based on how they have performed this season, Hyderabad certainly will have a better rating. Hence, we have predicted the Nizams to win this match.