New Delhi, September 24: Punjab FC host Hyderabad FC at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in New Delhi to kick-off Matchweek 3 of the Indian Super League (ISL) 2024-25 on Wednesday, September 25, at 7:30 pm IST. This intriguing matchup sees Punjab FC having won both of their opening games to sit at the third spot in the points table and Hyderabad FC who lost 3-0 to Bengaluru FC with late goals in MW2 and both managers facing each other for the time in their managerial careers.
Punjab FC’s longest-ever winning streak
· Victories in their last three ISL games means that Punjab FC have now won the most matches on a trot ever for them in the ISL. However, they will be concerned with not keeping a clean sheet in any of their previous six games, highlighting areas of improvement in their gameplay.
Hyderabad FC’s quest for goals
· Hyderabad FC have never gone without finding the back of the net in three consecutive ISL games. Though they didn’t score in their last two matches, the team must be pulling up their gears to pounce upon Punjab FC, who have given away 10 strikes in their last six matches.
“We are backing our players to adjust to new conditions”
Luka Majcen’s absence has put the focus on Punjab FC’s new signing Mushaga Bakenga to find his groove upfront. The Norwegian forward has been on the lookout of goals in the last two games and will want to finally find one at home against Thangboi Singto’s men. Head coach Panagiotis Dilmperis is backing Backenga and his other new players to get into their rhythms soon.
“Bakenga is a great player; he has played at the highest level. He needs time to adjust himself. We are here to support him. Not only Bakenga, but all players who need time to adjust to the new conditions. I trust him and I believe in him, and I’m sure that in the future he will score goals,” Dilmperis said.
“We have the desire to do well”
Hyderabad FC head coach Thangboi Singto understands that his team will need to put in a lot more work in the training ground, and is hopeful of creating more goal-scoring chances and converting them in the coming match.
“We have not been really able to work on tactical aspects because we did not have much time. But overall, in terms of effort, in terms of the desire to do well, no complaints about this,” Singto said.
Head-to-Head
Punjab FC are unbeaten against Hyderabad FC in the Indian Super League (P2 W1 D1), one of the four teams in the competition against whom PFC are yet to face a loss to.
Key Players & Milestones
· Punjab FC’s Nihal Sudheesh has pulled off a combined 12 long progressive carries (10+ metres) in these two games, three more than the nine such carries he managed in his previous 13 appearances in the ISL.
· Hyderabad FC’s Mohammed Rafi has averaged 6.8 clearances per game in the ISL this calendar year, the best such aggregate by any player (min. 4 games played).
· Punjab FC’s Tekcham Abhishek Singh has won 88% of his attempted tackles since the start of 2023-24, with this rate being the second best among Indian players with more than 20 tackles attempted in that span (Sandeep Singh – 91.3%).
· Abdul Rabeeh’s 46 touches inside the opposition’s box is the most by any Hyderabad FC player in this calendar year.
ISL Fantasy Picks
(HFC) Lenny Rodrigues (5.5cr)
Earned four fantasy points vs BFC
(PFC) Filip Mrzljak (8cr)
Has accumulated 13 points across two matchweeks.
Indian Super League will be streamed live free on JioCinema (English, Hindi, Bengali and Malayalam) and telecasted live on Sports 18 — 3 (English, Hindi, Bengali and Malayalam), Asianet Plus (Malayalam). Additionally Sports 18 — 1, Sports 18 — 2 and Sports 18 — Khel will also broadcast live select ISL matches.
