ISL 2024-25: Hyderabad FC aims for improve home form against Odisha FC

Despite a stronger away performance, HFC must significantly improve its home form to climb the table. Currently 11th with seven points, its last home win was against Mohun Bagan Super Giant in February 2023, a streak of 15 winless matches.

Ramhlunchhunga of Hyderabad FC during the Indian Super League (ISL) 2024 -25 match against Mohun Bagan Super Giants. | Photo Credit: ISL Media

Former champion, Hyderabad FC, will hope for improved performance at home when it takes on Odisha FC in the Indian Super League 2024-25 match at the GMC Balayogi Stadium here on Monday night.

Despite a stronger away performance, HFC must significantly improve its home form to climb the table. Currently 11th with seven points, its last home win was against Mohun Bagan Super Giant in February 2023, a streak of 15 winless matches.

On the other hand, Odisha which is placed ninth on the points table from eight games, will look at its coach Sergio Lobera to discover new ways to get the better of HFC in front of the home crowd.

HFC with a record of netting 43 per cent of the goals in the first 15 minutes might well be tempted to not only keep that record but also scoring in the second half too.

For Odisha, known to play the positional game much better than some of the fancied outfits in the ISL, has seasoned defenders including Mourtada Fall and Carlos Delgado who are capable of keeping the opposition forwardline at bay.

Interestingly, OFC has been unable to keep a clean sheet in any of its eight matches in ISL 2024-25 so far. If Hyderabad FC scores on Monday, it will mark only the second time that the Juggernauts would concede a goal in each of their first nine games in an ISL season since 2020-21. This is surely a record that Lobera would love to set it straight soon.

For his part, HFC head coach Thangboi Singto said they need to take the game with great confidence and practice which they had done.

And, Lobera expected greater efficiency from his frontline even as the team was determined to improve in some key areas.

For the record, the two teams clashed 10 times with Odisha winning five and one ending in a draw.