Hyderabad will take on Odisha in Indian Football League 2020-21 to strengthen its playoffs position. Hyderabad didn’t concede against strong Mumbai while, Odisha suffered a defeat to Chennai in the previous match.
Match Timings: Jan 19, 7:30 PM IST
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Hyderabad has rebuilt its hope this season to ensure the playoffs. They currently take the fourth spot in the table, but middle-table teams are not so far from the Nizams. Hyderabad requires one victory to better its margin from the 5th placed side. In the last outing, Nizams held league-leaders for a goalless draw, and for the second time this season, a team kept a clean sheet against Lobero’s side.
Manuel Roca’s side had a good start, and Liston Colaco earned a free-kick. Mumbai had a penalty appeal in the sixth minute. Islanders now dominated the possession, but they couldn't produce any chance. Joel Chianese and Liston Colaco combined setup for a shot, but Amrinder Singh saved it. Asish Rai and Akash Mishra didn’t allow Mumbai to strike. Mohammad Yasir sent a chipped ball to Joel Chianese, but Amrinder Singh saved this shot with his leg. Colaco got one more chance in the second half, but his shot went wide. Mandar Rao Dessai and Bipin Singh heated the attack, but Hyderabad maintained its tight defense. It was the first goalless draw for both sides, and the result didn’t change much in the table. Hyderabad continued at four, and Mumbai retained its top spot.
Meanwhile, Odisha had another disappointing game, and they suffered a 2-1 defeat to Chennai in the second leg game. Odisha created early mistakes and allowed Chennai to dominate them. Gaurav Bora’s mistake proved costly for Kalinga Warriors in the 15th minute as the defender couldn’t control the long ball, and Esmael sent it past the goalkeeper to add a lead for Chennai. Bora brought down Anirudh Thapa at the 18-yard box to give a penalty to Chennai. Esmael completed the brace, and Chennai went 2-0 up in the first 21 minutes. Five minutes later, Shubham Sarangi got a good chance from Jerry Mawihmingthanga’s corner kick, but he failed to direct his header on target. Manuel Onwu also mishit his shot, and the first half ended in favour of Chennai.
The Marina Machans had a good chance at the start of the second half, and Lallianzuala Chhangte dominated Odisha’s back-line. Diego Mauricio provided the relief with a goal in the 63rd minute. Odisha looked unsettled to take an equaliser in the last minutes. Centre-back Eli Sabia could have made the scoreline 3-1, but Odisha survived this scar. Vishal Kaith made a fine save against Daniel Lalhlimpuia to avoid any late equaliser. Odisha can blame themselves for the defeat in the last game. Gaurav Bora made silly mistakes to offer Chennai scoring chances. Odisha still takes the bottom spot in the table and suffered seven defeats this season. With 6 points, they are in the frame of playoff qualification. In the last meeting this season, Hyderabad ran out winners 1-0 against Odisha. In the previous edition, Odisha won both home and away match against the Nizams.
Possible Lineups & Current Form
Odisha
Arshdeep Singh, Hendry Antonay, Cole Alexander, Marcelo Pereira, Gaurav Bora, Shubham Sarangi, Vinit Rai, Jerry Mawihmingthanga, Manuel Onwu, Kamalpreet Singh, Steven Taylor
Current from: L D W L D
Previous match: 2-1 loss to Chennai
Hyderabad
Laxmikant Kattimani; Chinglensana Singh, Lluis Sastre, Joel Chianese, Aridane Santana, Mohammed Yasir, Liston Colaco, Odei Onaindia, Hitesh Sharma, Akash Mishra, Asish Rai
Current from: D W W L L
Previous match: goalless draw with Mumbai
Key Players
Odisha
Diego Mauricio
6 goals in Indian Football League 2020-21
Jerry Mawihmingthanga
4 assists in Indian Football League 2020-21
Hyderabad
Aridane Santana
6 goals in Indian Football League 2020-21
Liston Colaco
2 goals & 2 assists in Indian Football League 2020-21
