Matchday
ISL action returns to Hyderabad
September 30, 2024 HFC Media
  Coach Thangboi Singto and skipper Alex Saji in ISL Press Conference

Hyderabad FC take on CFC in first home game of 24-25 ISL season

Hyderabad: After almost six long months, Indian Super League returns to the city of Hyderabad this week.

Hyderabad FC take on Chennaiyin FC in a crucial ISL game for both sides at the GMC Balayogi Athletic Stadium in Gachibowli, Hyderabad this Tuesday, October 1.

The Nawabs fell to two tough losses to start their league campaign and will look to bounce back in front of their faithful in this clash.

Owen Coyle’s Chennaiyin side registered a massive win against Odisha FC but have also faced two defeats in their first three games of the season.

Daniel Chima Chukwu, who scored a hat-trick in his last trip to Hyderabad, will once again be the danger man for HFC in this game.

Ryan Edwards, Connor Shields, Elsinho, Farukh Choudhary and Ankit Mukherjee have all been in decent form at the start of this season.

Speaking to the media ahead of the game, Coach Owen Coyle said that his side were ready for this clash in Hyderabad. “We have shown in the past that we can a tough team to beat. So we will have to make sure that we put in a strong performance and give our best against this Hyderabad side in the ISL,” he said.

Hyderabad FC on the other hand are yet to find the back of the net so far this season.

However, they put in some promising performances in Bengaluru and Delhi, and will hope to build on the same and put in a stronger performance at home this week.

Lenny Rodrigues, Alex Saji, Abdul Rabeeh and Ramhlunchhunga have been the top performers for the club so far this season while Cy Goddard and Allan Paulista are just settling in at the club.

New signing Stefan Sapic will also have a role to play, but HFC Head Coach Thangboi Singto will hope that his side can do better than they did in the last two games.

Speaking to the media, Coach Thangboi said, “The results are a massive problem if the team is not motivated. But I did not sense any of that,”


“In fact, the young side is wants to be back on the field and have a point to prove that we are not here just to make up the numbers. CFC are a tough side and we need to be on top of our game to try and get a result from this game,” he added.

Club captain Alex Saji, who is one of the few players remaining from HFC’s historic victory over Chennai last season, was also confident of his side’s chances on Tuesday.

Speaking to the Media ahead of the game, Alex said, “The result last season is now in the past and we can only take inspiration from it, ”

“We now have a stronger squad, and are determined to put in a strong performance and I hope all our players give their best on Tuesday,: he added.

Leander D’Cunha picked up a red in the last game and will miss this clash while HFC also have a couple of minor injury concerns ahead of this game.

But Coach Thangboi will put out a strong side to take the travelling Machans on Tuesday.

And with the Yellow and Black faithful behind them, Hyderabad will hope to get their first points on board in this clash.

The game kicks off at 7:30pm IST on Wednesday, September 25, and will be telecasted live on Sports 18 with free streaming on Jio Cinema.

Click here to get your tickets for HFC’s first home game of the 2024-25 campaign. 

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