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The newest team in the ISL gets its season underway on Friday, at the Salt Lake Stadium in Kolkata, when Hyderabad FC take on ATK in game 6 of the 2019-20 season.
ATK will be looking to bounce back from a disappointing opening day defeat in Kochi, when they went down 2-1 to the Kerala Blasters, despite creating a good number of chances, and not playing too badly, overall.
They also had a couple of legitimate shouts for penalties turned down, and that could have made a significant impact on the final result of the game.
But that is done now, and ATK need to regroup. Antonio Lopez Habas will also need to have a look at the way he set his side up, with Michael Soosairaj looking tentative in his role at left wing-back, and Jayesh Rane similar in the centre of midfield.
For Hyderabad though, the slate is clean, even though a majority of this squad played for FC Pune City in an underwhelming campaign last season, when they finished seventh. Their form dramatically improved after Phil Brown took over, and the Englishman will be looking to ride that wave, with Hyderabad.
ATK v Hyderabad FC: Match Information
Date: 25 October 2019
Kickoff: 7:30 PM IST
Live Stream: Star Sports Network and Hotstar
Venue: Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan, Salt Lake, Kolkata
Live Commentary: ATK v Hyderabad FC
ATK v Hyderabad FC: Team News
ATK left centre-back John Johnson is out of the matchday squad for their opening game, and there was no mention of an injury to the Englishman. That is expected to continue, with Habas likely to stick with Agus Garcia and Carl McHugh at the back.
For Hyderabad, the big attraction will be the Brazilian striker Bobo, who comes in with an impressive goal-scoring record in the A-League, much like the ATK duo of David Williams and Roy Krishna. Laldanmawia Ralte and Asish Rai are likely to make their ISL debuts for Hyderabad, as well.
ATK v Hyderabad FC: Probable Lineups
ATK: Arindam Bhattacharja, Pritam Kotal, Agus Garcia, Carl McHugh, Prabir Das, Pronay Halder, Sehnaj Singh, Javi Garcia, Michael Soosairaj, David Williams, Roy Krishna
Hyderabad FC: Kamaljit Singh, Asish Rai, Matthew Kilgallon, Rafa Lopez, Sahil Panwar, Adil Khan, Marko Stankovic, Marcelinho, Laldanmawia Ralte, Bobo, Robin Singh
ATK v Hyderabad FC: ISL Form Guide
ATK: L-W-L-L-D
Hyderabad FC: W-L-D-W-D (As FC Pune City)
ATK v Hyderabad FC: Head-to-Head
This is Hyderabad FC's first-ever match in the ISL, so the below head-to-head stats will reflect ATK's record against the erstwhile FC Pune City.
ATK Wins: 2
FC Pune City Wins: 5
Draws: 3
ATK v Hyderabad FC: Key Players
ATK: There were plenty of encouraging signs in the opening game from David Williams. The Aussie showed some splendid touches, and his awareness and movement was top-class. He missed a sitter to haul ATK back level, early in the second half, but Habas will be reassured by the positions he was getting in to.
Hyderabad FC: You can't look beyond Marcelinho, can you? The Brazilian has it all - amazing dribbling ability, set-pieces, and an absolute hammer of a left foot. He also has a nasty streak to his game, which Brown will hope to control.
ATK v Hyderabad FC: Predictions
Despite the fact that ATK are reeling off that loss on opening day, they should have too much for this Hyderabad side, especially in attack. Garcia, Williams and Krishna showed glimpses of how good they can be in Kochi, and in front of their home fans, they will look to turn those glimpses into a consistent threat.
Prediction: ATK 2-0 Hyderabad FC
