One look at the statistics, there is not much to separate Chennaiyin FC and Hyderabad FC. Only three-points separate the two -- Chennaiyin (16) and Hyderabad (19) with HFC (4th) placed two places above the CFC (6th) in the Indian Super League (ISL) 2020-21 table.
But the way the two teams have performed in the last few matches, it appears that Hyderabad might have the upper-hand when they face off at the Tilak Maidan Stadium in Vasco on Sunday.
Hyderabad FC vs Chennaiyin FC: LIVE blog
Chennaiyin has done everything well except scoring! And the club’s coach Csaba Laszlo has been insisting on the need to score more, but things haven't worked on the pitch.
Laszlo said: “It's not just a game against a team that we are three points behind. We played really bad football against Hyderabad in the last game (losing 1-4) and we have to change this. Professional football is always about results. Sometimes we have bad days but I don't want to see them lose without heart, without will, without spirit.”
On the other hand, Hyderabad has been in fine form with an unbeaten run of six matches, with Indian players such as Ashish Rai, Halicharan Narzary, Mohammad Yasir, Nikhil Poojary, among others proving their mettle.
For Hyderabad, a cause of concern, however, is the fact that the last four matches have ended in a draw, but head coach Manuel Marquez was clear in what the team requires.
“The team needs to score (from) the chances, that is very clear," he said. “But the most important thing is to have these clear chances. I think that it's true that the team plays good football that is attractive to people. But in football, the most important thing is the final score. I agree that we were closer to win than to lose. People may say that the draw is nothing but now we have four points more than four games ago. Now against Chennaiyin, it's a perfect opportunity for them to have the same points as our team and for our team to put distance between both teams.”
The good news for Chennaiyin fans is that Manuel Lanzarote, the replacement for Rafael Crivellaro, is out of quarantine, but Laszlo refused to put a date as to when he will play.
“It is not easy for someone who has been in quarantine for 14 days, without a training session. But I will talk to him and we will decide on whether he will be part of the (matchday) squad or not. But definitely he will not be part of the first eleven,” Laszlo said.
Chennaiyin will miss the services of central defender Enes Sipovic, who picked up his fourth yellow card of the season against Mumbai City FC in the previous game.
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