Hyderabad FC travel to Kolkata to play pre-season friendlies
Hyderabad FC have travelled to Kolkata to play a few pre-season friendlies ahead of the forthcoming Indian Super League (ISL) season, slated to start in late September. Sources close to the development have confirmed to Sportskeeda that the Nawabs will be taking on Punjab FC on September 2, followed by Inter Kashi soon.
As of now, these are the only two confirmed teams who will play these friendlies against Hyderabad. While Punjab FC won promotion into the ISL this season owing to their title-winning run in the I-League last year, Inter Kashi are the latest entrants into the professional football structure in India. They will compete in the I-League this season.
With hardly any time left to prepare, the Yellow and Black Brigade have opted to fly into the eastern Indian city, which is due to host the final of the Durand Cup on Sunday, September 3. For the uninitiated, the final of the Durand Cup 2023 will be a Kolkata derby, with noisy neighbours Mohun Bagan Super Giant and East Bengal taking each other on.
Hyderabad FC will be keen on making the most of their time on the pitch in these friendlies in order to get the new members of their team familiar with the others. Their campaign in the Durand Cup did not quite go according to plan, as they failed to qualify for the quarterfinals and were knocked out of the group stage. They finished second in their group after Chennaiyin FC.
Hyderabad FC did not have the best of times in the aforementioned tournament, losing to Chennaiyin FC by a 1-3 scoreline after drawing 1-1 with the latest entrants in the I-League, Delhi FC, in their first encounter. However, they managed to win their last game in the group stage, against Tribhuvan Army, by a 3-0 scoreline.
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The dual transfer registration bans had prevented Hyderabad FC from playing their first team in the Durand Cup
The dual transfer registration bans imposed upon Hyderabad FC by FIFA and the AIFF had prevented them from playing their new signings in the season-opening tournament. They could also not play those of their players who had signed contract extensions last season.
Defender Chinglensana Singh led the young outfit, which only had the likes of Mohammad Yasir, Gurmeet Singh, Sahil Tavora, and Hitesh Sharma among the seniors. The Nawabs' pre-season friendlies in Kolkata will, however, allow them to play their first team, given that the transfer registration bans have now been lifted.
They made a lot of top-quality signings in this transfer window including Vignesh Dakshinamurthy, Joe Knowles, Jonathan Moya, Petteri Pennanen, Felipe Amorim, and Makhan Chote, among others. These new players will get a taste of how it is to gel with the others in the squad.
Up till now, after their Durand Cup campaign concluded on August 22, the Nawabs had been training at their state-of-the-art facility in Aziz Nagar in the city. The Yellow and Black Brigade had also played a friendly against Sreenidi Deccan FC's reserves earlier this week, winning it by a 2-0 scoreline.
New manager Thangboi Singto and first-team coach Conor Nestor will be hoping that these pre-season friendlies give a lot of exposure to the youngsters in the squad. With skipper Joao Victor back from Brazil, the experienced players might also get a chance to shake off their rustiness.