Hyderabad FC will look to continue its home form in the Indian Super League (ISL) when it takes on in-form Mumbai City FC at the GMC Balayogi Stadium here on Wednesday.
The home side is 12th in the table with 16 points from 20 games, while the Islanders are sixth with 31 points from an equal number of games.
MCFC, which won four and drew thrice in the last seven away games, should be the favourite unless the home team puts up a special performance.
In its 11 matches against each other so far, MCFC has won four games and HFC has emerged victorious twice while five ended in a draw.
The positive for HFC has been the encouraging run at home, winning its last two encounters, 3-2 against Jamshedpur FC and 3-1 against Mohammedan SC.
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A third straight home win will equal the feat that it scaled in October-November 2022 when all triumphs had come with a 1-0 scoreline.
However, HFC has to shore up the defence, having conceded nine headed goals this season, which is the joint-highest in the competition.
HFC interim head coach Shameel Chembakath is optimistic about his team’s prospects for the coming match.
“The players are very focused on the match against MCFC. We have worked hard and hope to give a positive performance at home,” he said.
For his part, MCFC head coach Petr Kratky said that his team had the potential in its ranks to get a desirable result.
“The players have the ability, and that has helped us win crucial points throughout the season. But the important part is that we try and finish as high as possible in the table,” he said.
Content Source: sportstar.thehindu.com