Hyderabad FC would look for their first win of the season while Chennaiyin FC seek to move up the standings when the two sides face each other in an Indian Super League match here on Tuesday.
In their previous match, Hyderabad lost 0-2 to Punjab FC, while Chennaiyin succumbed to a 0-1 defeat to debutant Mohammedan Sporting.
Hyderabad have a strong defensive structure that could trouble Chennaiyin. The two teams have clashed against each other on 10 occasions in the ISL and have registered four wins each, while two matches ended in a draw.
Meanwhile, CFC have scored in their previous four away matches. Their previous longest goal-scoring run in away games was 16 contests between January 2020 to February 2023.
Ahead of Tuesday’s fixture, Hyderabad head coach Thangboi Singto hoped to draw inspiration from last season when his side triumphed over Chennaiyin.
“I can see that the boys have gelled with each other in the last few weeks of training. So far, we have played only away games, and our next match will be at home,” Singto said on the eve of the game.
“Chennaiyin FC were the only team that we beat last season. Are we going to defeat them again? I wish.
“It won’t be easy because of the kind of foreigners that they have brought in, and the Indian players are there; they are much better in terms of physicality and experience. It will be tough, but the only thing we can do is train and keep trying.”
Chennaiyin head coach Owen Coyle said while their start has been better than the last season, there are still some grey areas that need to be worked upon.
“I’d love to be sitting here with six points, for sure. We’re obviously on three, which is better than we were this time last year. But six was achievable. So, we have to take that punch to the nose and look to bounce back quickly,” he stated.
Chennaiyin’s Farukh Choudhary has taken eight shots from inside the box this season. Hyderabad’s Abdul Rabeeh’s 50 touches inside the opposition’s box since the beginning of the year is the most by any player from the side so far.
