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ATK Team News
ATK started the match well and took the lead through Carl McHugh but were punished by Kerala for errors at the back and profligacy in front of goal. While coach Antonio Habas feels that his side did not deserve to lose in Kochi, the Spaniard admitted that they have to improve against Hyderabad FC.
"I think maybe we need more balance in the team. We need to improve with the players. We have seven new players in the team and it's very difficult to create the perfect balance with a new side. We had many opportunities to score. We didn't deserve to lose the match. But now we have to think about the match ahead," he said.
Star striker Roy Krishna, who had a couple of good chances to open his ISL account in Kochi, and Javi Hernandez will be key for ATK in attack while the likes of Michael Soosairaj will be expected to give them good support.
ATK will look to cash in on their home advantage against the newcomers.
"I have in my mind that we must win tomorrow. We have to put everything in a tactical sense into our performances. The importance is to perform well in order to win matches," said Habas.
Hyderabad FC Team News
Hyderabad FC, though newcomers, have plenty of faces who are all too familiar with ISL. With star players like Marcelinho and Marko Stankovic, all capable of match-winning moments, in their ranks, Hyderabad coach Phil Brown is confident of starting the season well.
"I've brought in over half of the Indian players with me from FC Pune City and two foreigners in Marcelinho and Marko Stankovic. Marko has a great mentality and understanding of the Indian game. Marcelinho is the kind of player who can win games of football anywhere they play," Brown said.
Hyderabad have also some good attacking options in their ranks in Jamaican forward Giles Barnes and Brazilian attacker Bobo. However, Spanish midfielder Nestor Gordillo will not be available until late December, owing to a ban handed to him by the All India Football Federation (AIFF).
An unfazed Brown, however, is looking forward to embarking on a busy schedule for the club on a positive note and establishing an identity for the club.
"When you're a new team going into a new league, I think we have a responsibility to play the right kind of football to enhance ISL's brand. There are 10 teams in ISL. But we have no identity yet. We have to get that identity. We have four games in 11-12 days and everyone will have an identity by then," he said.
Prediction:
Both teams will be looking to find their playing XI when they head into the game on Friday. Former champions ATK will hold the edge as they will bank on home advantage. While ATK will look to bounce back from their opening day loss, Hyderabad coach Brown is confident that the new team get off to a winning start in Kolkata on Friday.
Head-to-Head:
The teams will head into the match with a clean slate as Hyderabad FC is the newest addition to the league.
Probable Line-ups:
ATK: Arindam Bhattacharja (GK), Pritam Kotal, Carl McHugh, Agustin Iniguez, Prabir Das, Pronay Halder, Jayesh Rane, Edu Garcia, Michael Soosairaj, David Williams, Roy Krishna
Hyderabad FC: Kamaljit Singh (GK), Matthew Kilgallon, Gurtej Singh, Rafael Gomez, Sahil Panwar, Adil Khan, Marko Stankovic, Giles Barnes, Bobo, Marcelo Pereira, Robin Singh
TV info:
Match will kick off at the Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan in Kolkata on Friday (Oct. 25) at 7:30pm IST.
Live on Star Sports Network
Live Streaming on Hotstar & Jio TV
