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HFC Strengths
The South Indian club had the third best defence last season behind ATK Mohun Bagan and Mumbai City FC, allowing just 19 goals in 20 matches. And with the addition of a resilient Juanan and the presence of reliable shot-stopper Laxmikant Kattimani, Hyderabad could block a few more goals.
The HFC have also addressed an issue in front of goal with the addition of Bartholomew Ogbeche. And the seasoned forward can benefit from playmakers Edu Garcia and Joao Victor.
HFC Weakness
The lack of goals meant they had to settle for a fifth-placed finish. But that may be addressed with Ogbeche's arrival from Kerala Blasters. But an injury to him may put pressure on the others to fire.
A lot of changes to the squad may also hamper the ability to find the right balance. And although they won first 4 matches of their pre-season, Hyderabad were truly tested once they met their ISL rivals. So, when the season kicks off, HFC may be slow to get off the blocks. They also need to convert their draws into wins if they aspire for the top spots.
Hyderabad FC Squad
Goalkeepers: Laxmikant Kattimani, Gurmeet Singh, Lalbiakhlua Jongte
Defenders: Akash Mishra, Asish Rai, Chinglensana Singh, Juanan Gonzalez, Pritam Soraisam, Nikhil Prabhu, Nim Dorjee Tamang
Midfielders: Joao Victor, Mohammad Yasir, Souvik Chakrabarti, Hitesh Sharma, Sahil Tavora, Nikhil Poojary, Edu Garcia, Mark Zothanpuia, Halicharan Nazary, Abdul Rabeeh
Forwards: Bartholomew Ogbeche, Javi Siverio, Joel Chianese, Rohit Danu, Aniket Jadhav, Aaren D'Silva
Hyderabad FC Key Players
Bartholomew Ogbeche: Goals were hard to come by for HFC last season, but with the arrival of the forward, who added 15 goals and one assist to his tally with Kerala Blasters FC in 2019-20 after 12 goals for 12 goals for NEUFC. Last season, Ogbeche scored many crucial goals and helped Mumbai City FC to their maiden Hero ISL trophy. Now, he intends to do the same with HFC.
Edu Garcia: The Spaniard lifted the Hero ISL trophy with ATK FC in 2019-20 and then helped ATK Mohun Bagan to the final last season. He has now joined Hyderabad FC to create some goals alongside Joao Victor, who was one of HFC's best players in their fifth-place finish.
Laxmikant Kattimani: The Indian shot-stopper joined Hyderabad FC ahead of 2019-20 season but featured only in six games. However, in 2020-21, he was back as a first-choice goalkeeper as Manuel Marquez' men narrowly missed out on the semi-finals. He is expected to be the first-choice once again, and his goalmouth action could come in handy for the HFC.
Juanan: The experienced defender, who was integral to Bengaluru FC title-winning 2018-19 campaign before ensuring that Bengaluru FC had the tightest defence during the 2019-20 season. After an underwhelming 2020-21 season with the Blues, the defender joined Hyderabad FC ahead of the 2021-22 ISL. His calmness will come in handy alongside the likes of Chinglensana Singh.
Hyderabad FC 2021-22 Fixtures till round 10
November 23: Hyderabad FC vs Chennaiyin FC - 7:30 PM IST
November 27: Mumbai City FC vs Hyderabad FC - 9:30 PM IST
December 2: Jamshedpur FC vs Hyderabad FC - 7:30 PM IST
December 8: Hyderabad FC vs Bengaluru FC - 7:30 PM IST
December 13: Hyderabad FC vs NorthEast United FC - 7:30 PM IST
December 18: FC Goa vs Hyderabad FC - 9:30 PM IST
December 23: Hyderabad FC vs SC East Bengal - 7:30 PM IST
December 28: Hyderabad FC vs Hyderabad FC - 7:30 PM IST
January 5: ATK Mohun Bagan vs Hyderabad FC - 7:30 PM IST
January 9: Kerala Blasters vs Hyderabad FC - 7:30 PM IST
HFC Season Prediction
Organized in defence last season, Hyderabad finished last season in fifth position. They could have gone a step further had they scored more goals to convert draws into wins. The HFC have addressed that issue with the addition of a top forward in Barthlomew Ogbeche. So, they could easily go one step further and be among the title chasing sides.
