5 key takeaways from HFC’s fixture list for the 2021-22 ISL campaign
It is that time of the year when you start making space in your calendar to watch your football team in action. The Indian Super League announced the much anticipated first phase of fixtures for the 2021-22 campaign earlier this month and there are some mouthwatering fixtures spread across 60 action-packed days.
The team is already working hard in pre-season under Manolo Marquez in Goa and the plans for the season are already being drawn. Helping you get into the mood for the new season, here are five key takeaways from HFC’s fixture list…
Our new home…
The ISL is set to be held entirely in Goa once again, with the same three venues playing hosts. While the Tilak Maidan in Vasco was our home last season, the GMC Athletic Stadium in Bambolim is where we set up base this time around, after finishing fifth in the league last season.
In the 2020-21 campaign, Manolo Marquez’s men played four games at this venue, coming out victorious twice (2D, 1L). This season, we are set to play 10 home games at the ground along with a few away games and will look to improve on our record. We will be sharing this ground with FC Goa, Bengaluru FC and Jamshedpur FC for the season.
Same day, but start of a new story…
Incidentally, Hyderabad kicked off the 2020-21 ISL campaign on November 23 last year as well and will face Chennaiyin FC exactly a year later in the 8th edition. The day not only marked our first win of the season in Manolo’s first game but was also the clash that gave us our first clean sheet.
This time, we face our southern neighbours from Chennai, a team that we completed the double over, last season, the first in our history. So once again, we start our season’s journey on November 23!
🗓️ 𝗠𝗮𝗿𝗸 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗰𝗮𝗹𝗲𝗻𝗱𝗮𝗿𝘀!!!
We kick off our 2021-22 @IndSuperLeague campaign 🆚 Chennaiyin FC on November 23.
Excited yet? 🤩#HeroISL #LetsFootball #HyderabadFC 💛🖤 pic.twitter.com/jLuikuUXyX
— Hyderabad FC (@HydFCOfficial) September 13, 2021
The time’s changed, but not the spirit…
Double-headers in the ISL saw the first game kickoff at 5pm last season. But this season, the first game kicks off as usual at 7:30pm, while the second one will be played at 9:30pm, in what will be the first of it’s kind kickoff in ISL history.
Incidentally, it is Hyderabad FC’s clash against Mumbai City at Fatorda that will be the first game to kickoff at the new time, making the troubles with heat under the evening Sun in Goa a thing of the past.
Frantic December…
Though our fixtures this time are relatively well spaced out, the hectic nature of the ISL will mean that HFC will still have to play six games in the month of December. Starting on the 2nd with a clash against Jamshedpur, Hyderabad face Bengaluru, NorthEast United, Goa, East Bengal and Odisha.
Even with travelling across the country for away games not an issue in the 8th edition, this run of fixtures could set the tone for the rest of the campaign.
Time Please…
With 11 clubs in the ISL, each team gets a Gameweek off, a crucial break that could make or break a team’s momentum. For Hyderabad FC, this break arrives three games into the campaign which gives us a six-day breather.
This not only gives us time to regroup irrespective of early results, it also makes sure that there will be no break in any momentum we find when the fixtures start piling up.
Check out all the fixtures here
