Punjab FC will play at home for the second time this Indian Super League (ISL) 2023-24 campaign when Hyderabad FC come visiting them on November 7, Tuesday.
Both teams are looking for their first win of the season and their respective head coaches will be eyeing that to get some positive momentum going before heading into the international break.
Hyderabad played out a 1-1 draw against Bengaluru FC on Saturday, but Thangboi Singto will target three points against a Punjab outfit that lost 2-1 to Mumbai City FC in their last game.
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What’s at stake?
Punjab FC
“I wanted the team, before starting the league, to be competitive, and apart from the previous game against Chennaiyin FC, all the other games were very competitive. It’s (first win) not far away,” tactician Staikos Vergetis conceded after the defeat to Mumbai, when the Islanders struck twice late in the second half to grab the victory.
Punjab was in good control over the proceedings in the last game and need to focus on closing out games after getting into winning positions. They should aim to execute their learning from the faceoff against the Islanders in this match.
Hyderabad FC
Hyderabad FC ceded control in the last game when Ryan Williams bagged the equalizer, but they delivered a strong performance to take confidence from the match going into the clash against Punjab FC. They need to bolster their frontline and get more goals under their belt as only three strikes in five matches raise concerns over the quality of their attackers.
Key Players
Luka Majcen (Punjab FC)
The Slovenian striker showed some slick footwork to score from outside of the box against Mumbai. He spearheaded their promotion to the ISL by finishing as the top-scorer (16) of the I-League last season, and is the focal point of their attacking unit. Majcen will hope to build up on that performance to find the back of the net for the first time on Punjab FC’s home turf this season.
Mohammed Yasir (Hyderabad FC)
The midfielder demonstrated sharp skillsets similar to that of a striker whilst bagging the opener for Hyderabad FC against Bengaluru FC. His creative inputs help his side’s offensive moves and Yasir will have to carry on the confidence he must have gained from the previous match into this fairly challenging away encounter.
Head-to-Head
This will be the first fixture between the two sides in the ISL.
Team Talk
“It’s a challenging year for us, being our first one in the ISL. We are enjoying participating in it because we want to take steps up in our career. Our team had to face some situations in the games, especially the transition game, which is a big difference between the I-League and the ISL, as the ball travels from one area to other very fast and we need to adapt and develop in it,” Punjab FC head coach Staikos Vergetis said.
“Punjab FC coming to the ISL, in their first season, they have done reasonably well. We are above them in standings, but they have shown character, shown that they belong in the league. There are moments when they look really powerful in games. As for us, the team is trying to show what they really are, in terms of understanding how to play as a team, tactically, and the combination of new guys and foreigners coming in, they have blended well. Punjab FC of course have done well, but we as former champions and being senior to them in the ISL, anything less than three points will be disappointing against them,” Hyderabad FC tactician Thangboi Singto expressed.
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