Hyderabad: An in-form Odisha FC will be looking to heap more misery on struggling Hyderabad FC when the two sides meet in an Indian Super League clash here Wednesday.
Odisha FC arrived here on the back of three consecutive wins that have propelled them to fourth on the table. Josep Gombau’s side will know that another victory against bottom-placed Hyderabad FC will see them pull five points clear of the chasing pack.
“The most important thing for us is to go game-by-game. We will try to do our best in every single game. I don’t want to put my players under pressure. We have a big squad. We’re close to the top four but there are six games to go. We are treating every single game as a final,” Gombau told reporters.
Odisha FC, however, will have to be wary of Hyderabad who sacked manager Phil Brown. They have appointed Albert Roca and the players will certainly try to impress the new coach.
“The new coach will be watching the game and the players will want to prove in front of him. They will try to win and, it will be a challenging game for us,” Gombau pointed out.
Hyderabad’s task will be made tougher by the suspension of midfielder Marko Stankovic. The likes of Adil Khan and Rohit Kumar will have important roles to play against a guileful Odisha midfield.
Hyderabad, who have conceded 15 goals in their last five games need to plug their defence. The defence, led by Matthew Kilgallon, needs to be wary of the crossing prowess of Odisha. Gombau’s side have scored eight goals from crosses, the most by a side this season. In attack, Marcelinho needs more support upfront.
Odisha will look towards the partnership between Aridane Santana and Xisco Hernandez to get them the goals. The duo is fresh off scoring a goal each in Odisha’s 2-0 win over Mumbai City FC. Santana has scored seven goals so far while Xisco has contributed five. Keeping the dangerous duo in check should be high on Hyderabad’s list of priorities.
Odisha FC, however, will miss the services of midfielder Vinit Rai who is suspended.
PNN & Agencies
