Hyderabad vs East Bengal: Preview and Prediction
Basement boys East Bengal will square off against Hyderabad in ‘Match 39’ of the 2021-22 Indian Super League season at the Athletic Stadium on Thursday.
This will be a match of immense importance for East Bengal since the Red and Golds’ head coach Manolo Diaz has his job on the line if reports are to be believed. They are the only team yet to win a match and are placed at the very bottom of the standings, having accumulated only 3 points from 7 matches.
On the contrary, Hyderabad has had a pretty impressive run so far this season. Manolo Marquez’s team has picked up 11 points in 6 matches and is placed at the third position. A win here will not only help the Nizams to leapfrog second-placed Jamshedpur in the standings but also close the gap down with league leaders Mumbai City to a solitary point.
How have they done so far?
Hyderabad had a poor start to their season, losing 1-0 against Chennaiyin in their campaign opener, but they have since embarked on a run of a five-game unbeaten streak. The Nizams defeated reigning champions Mumbai City 3-1 in their second outing.
A high-flying Jamshedpur side restricted them to a 1-1 stalemate in the third fixture but Marquez’s team bounced back with a clinical 1-0 victory over Bengaluru and a resounding 5-1 thumping against NorthEast United. In their last match, however, they could only get a point against Goa.
Unlike their opponents, East Bengal put up a good show against Jamshedpur in their opening match to secure a 1-1 draw but was then handed a 3-0 defeat in the Kolkata Derby against ATK Mohun Bagan.
The Torchbearers lost their third match against Odisha by a freakish 6-4 margin but were able to get a point against Chennaiyin. Goa handed Diaz’s team their third defeat of the season in yet another goal-fest and Arindam Bhattacharja & Co. followed it up with a resilient show to get a 1-1 draw against Kerala Blasters. A 2-0 defeat against NorthEast United in their previous encounter derailed East Bengal’s campaign once again.
Head to Head Record
Like this season, Hyderabad was a much better side than East Bengal last time around as well and they got the better of the Kolkata-based team by a 3-2 margin in their first encounter.
Aridane Santana scored a brace for the Nizams and Halicharan Narzary netted their third while Jacques Maghoma netted both goals for the Red and Golds. The second meeting ended in a 1-1 stalemate with Bright Enobakhare scoring for East Bengal and Santana restoring parity in the 90th-minute.
Team News
Balwant Singh can be handed a start in Antonio Perosevic’s absence
Marquez did not do much wrong tactically against the Gaurs in their last match and it is likely that we will see an almost unchanged starting XI for this match set up in his preferred 4-2-3-1 formation.
Having said that, there is scope for one tweak as Rohit Danu had a quiet evening down the left flank creating only one chance and getting just 28 touches of the ball. The former Las Palmas manager could replace Danu with the 21-year-old winger Aniket Jadhav.
Things are not as peaceful and tranquil at the East Bengal camp, as predicting their starting XI seems more challenging than predicting who will win the title at the business end of the season. Almost the entire team was found flat-footed in their last match against the Highlander, but the clumsiest of the lot were perhaps Naorem Mahesh, Lalrinliana Hnamte and Raju Gaikwad.
Bikash Jairu can replace Mahesh at right-wing while Gaikwad could make way for Daniel Gomes. The former Real Madrid Castilla manager can switch Mohammad Rafique to the flanks and bring Amir Dervisevic in the middle of the park while the experienced Balwant Singh is expected to replace the suspended Antonio Perosevic upfront. Croatian defender Franjo Prce is also doubtful for this match after sustaining an injury against the Highlanders Adil Khan could make a much-awaited appearance partnering Tomislav Mrcela in central defense.
Predicted Starting Lineups
Hyderabad (4-2-3-1): Laxmikant Kattimani; Asish Rai, Chinglensana Singh, Juanan, Akash Mishra; Hitesh Sharma, Joao Victor; Nikhil Poojari, Joel Chianese, Aniket Jadhav; Bartholomew Ogbeche.
SC East Bengal (4-4-2): Arindam Bhattacharja; Daniel Gomes, Tomislav Mrcela, Adil Khan, Hira Mondal; Bikash Jairu, Amir Dervisevic, Sourav Das, Mohammad Rafique; Balwant Singh, Daniel Chima Chukwu.
Prediction
Be it current run of form, head-to-head records or strength and quality on paper – Hyderabad is ahead of East Bengal in every single aspect. In accordance with that, we have predicted a 3-1 win for the Nizams.