Saturday, Jul 2, 2022

ISL: Hyderabad FC brace for tough Mohun Bagan challenge

By Shiva Krishna Gundra

Published: Published Date - 10:30 PM, Mon - 7 February 22

Hyderabad FCs Bartholomew Ogbeche (right) during a training session.

Hyderabad: Hyderabad Football Club are on a roll with a hat-trick of victories in the Indian Super League (ISL) and are placed comfortably at the top of the points table with 26 points from 14 games.

With the race to top 4 set to be a close one, the Hyderabad franchise are not taking things lightly. The Manolo Maquez managed side will face a tough challenge when they take on ATK Mohun Bagan, on Tuesday.

The 53-year-old Spaniard said that it would be a big challenge facing ATK. “When ATK has the ball, we have to defend well. They have very good players in all positions. They are very strong and they play very good football. We know that they are a strong team in ISL and will be a very difficult game,” he said.

Given the tight schedule, Hyderabad had a much-needed week-long gap after their last game and the coach is not sure whether it was helpful. “Sometimes we play every three or four days and now we have a week’s time. The gap will help if we have injured players. The best thing is to adapt to every situation. Sometimes, you don’t know how it goes.”

Bartholomew Ogbeche has been phenomenal for the side scoring 14 games, the most in the league so far. But the hearting fact is that the young Indian players like Akash Mishra, Ashish Roy, Nikhil Poojary and Aniket Jadhav are making a mark and contributing to the team’s cause.

Speaking of the youngsters, he said, “I think there are good young players in other teams as well. They are among the best in the league. With the new rule of only four foreigners on the pitch, these young players got more game time.”

He also revealed that though they are at the top of the table, they have a tough competition from teams for a top 4 finish. “I am very happy when I hear these (HFC being favourites for the title) kinds of things. But we are fighting against teams who have more budget and funds. Now we have to play six games and all these games are extremely crucial. It will be a very difficult route to qualify for the top 4. We try our best to be champions and to be in the top 4. There are seven to eight teams that will keep fighting for the last game. So our next six games are crucial.”

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