ISL 2024-25: Bengaluru FC aims to revive title race against bottom-placed Hyderabad FC

ISL 2024-25: Bengaluru FC aims to revive title race against bottom-placed Hyderabad FC

Bottom-placed Hyderabad FC with nine points from 15 games takes on third-placed Bengaluru FC with 27 points from 15 matches in a league match of the ISL at the GMC Balayogi Stadium here on Friday.

With nine matches to go in the regular season, BFC should be willing to keep moving ahead in the points table as the League heads for the business-end.

For the record, BFC went scoreless in its last match, a 0-1 loss to Mohammedan SC. The previous time it went consecutive games without finding the back of the net were the last two matches before Gerard Zaragoza took over as the head coach in December 2023. Since then, particularly this season, there has been a smooth consistency in the BFC frontline as reflected with the Blues having found the back of the net 28 times, as opposed to 11 of HFC.

Interestingly, four of the HFC’s 11 goals this season have come in its last five matches, where it has drawn twice and lost thrice.

A victory here will see HFC extend its unbeaten home stretch against the Blues to four matches. Bengaluru FC, on the other hand, is looking to avoid a third consecutive loss, to sustain pressure on its opponents in the upper half of the points table.

But, the big concern for HFC has been the defence having conceded 26 goals from inside the box, interestingly the same numbers that Bengaluru FC have scored from the zone this term thanks to Sunil Chhetri (9), Ryan Williams (5) and Edgar Mendez (4).

In 11 head-to-head clashes, HFC and BFC have won four and three games respectively while the others ended in a draw.

HFC interim head coach Shameel Chembakath encouraged his players to take the opponents out of the equation when preparing for a match.

“The message to the players has always been clear. That is, to not think about the three points. That way, we will be in a good place,” he said. “We want to enjoy the way we play football,” he added.

BFC head coach Gerard Zaragoza said that his team would seed happiness out of the way they play football.

“We want to enjoy the way we play football. We want to win, of course. We hate losing. But, we also want the supporters to enjoy watching us play,” he said.