Hyderabad FC is on top of the Indian Super League table with 29 points but there are a number of teams breathing down its neck. The league leader has a good chance to consolidate its position when it takes on a troubled FC Goa at Bambolim on Saturday, the day’s second fixture with a 9.30 p.m. kick-off.
Goa, in the ninth spot in the 11-team league with 18 points, has been battling COVID problems.
Positive cases
“In the last match, we had COVID cases just two days before the match and we couldn’t train the day before. Even today morning we had a couple of positive cases and we are not sure what will happen,” said Goa’s head coach Derrick Pereira on Friday.
The semifinal doors are virtually closed for Goa but Pereira said that the team will still fight hard in the remaining matches. The last encounter between the two earlier this season ended in a 1-1 draw.
Hyderabad is on a high, enjoying its best-ever season and its 37-year-old Nigerian striker Bartholomew Ogbeche, now in the form of his life, is the ISL’s highest goalscorer this season with 14 goals.
“FC Goa is one of the best teams in the league and they have had their challenges. We have to be at our best. There are six teams and four places and some teams have more games to play. So the table is not real. We need to go step by step,” said Manolo Marquez, the Hyderabad head coach.
