ISL: Mumbai City FC face upbeat Hyderabad FC test in pursuit of league shield

Hyderabad (Telangana) [India], April 1 : Mumbai City FC will travel to take on Hyderabad FC at the GMC Balayogi Athletic Stadium in Hyderabad in matchweek 20 of the Indian Super League (ISL) 2023-24 on Monday.
At the top of the table, the Islanders have accumulated 41 points from 19 games. With Mohun Bagan Super Giant, who have garnered 39 points from 18 matches, breathing down their necks, Mumbai City FC cannot afford any slip-ups at this stage of the season. They have won 12 matches, drawn five and lost two matches.
They have to be wary of that against Hyderabad FC, who have embraced the tag of being giant killers lately. The Thangboi Singto-coached side brought an end to their 20-game-long winless streak with a 1-0 victory over Chennaiyin FC in their last match. They are at the bottom of the points table with a win, five draws and 13 losses, as per an ISL press release.
Their inexperienced Indian contingent has risen to the challenge admirably well in the second half of the season. Devoid of any senior counterparts by their side, they have bought into the ideas of Singto gradually and the outcomes of the same are gradually reflected on the field.
Prior to the win against Chennaiyin FC, they had come back from behind to draw 2-2 against NorthEast United FC in their previous match. Similarly, a late winner by Sivasakthi Narayanan had prevented them from taking a point from their faceoff against Bengaluru FC on February 24.
It shows that they have been coming close to securing points from hard-fought contests recently, and that is a good enough reason to keep Mumbai City FC on their toes in this match.
*Key Players to Watch Out
-Alex Saji (Hyderabad FC)
Alex Saji is averaging 1.6 blocks per game in the ISL since the restart in January, the highest such aggregate by any Indian player and second highest overall in the competition in this period (Ryan Edwards - 1.8); indeed, he has made 11 blocks in seven games so far in 2024.
He has averaged 35 passes per game at 74 per cent accuracy. Alex has made six interceptions, made 24 recoveries, won 29 duels, and made 42 clearances so far this season.
He has helped the team keep one clean sheet, but has been a constant presence guarding the backline right from the centre in the past two months. His performance against the in-form Mumbai City FC frontline needs to be observed closely.
-Vikram Partap Singh (Mumbai City FC)
Vikram Partap Singh has notched an expected goal tally of 3.27 in the ISL since the start of 2024, the highest such value by any Indian player in the competition in the same period. His tally of six goals since the restart is the joint most by any player in this period (also Wilmar Jordan Gil).
He has recorded nine successful dribbles, made 12 key passes, and created 14 goal-scoring chances in ISL 2023-24. Vikram has made 61 touches in the opposition's box, made 39 recoveries, and secured a goal conversion rate of 25.93 per cent so far. Vikram has won 55 duels and bagged nine goal contributions in total, emerging as one of the most reliable forwards for Mumbai City FC this season.
*Head-to-Head
Played - 9
Mumbai City FC - 2
Hyderabad FC - 2
Draws - 5
-Team Talk
"We got some good results in the league after the season break in January. Our preparations went well. We have most of our squad fit and available and we have trained well for this match," Hyderabad FC assistant coach Shameel Chembakath said in the pre-match press conference, as quoted by an ISL press release.
"We have had good training sessions behind us to prepare for the game against Hyderabad. I do not think there needs to be too much motivation for the boys. They have been here before, they have done it before, and they know what they are doing," Mumbai City FC head coach Petr Kratky said ahead of the game.