As a result, the defending champions would be four points behind Des Buckingham’s team if they win on Saturday. At the moment, the two teams ranked highest are in the best position to win the Shield and secure a spot in the semifinals.
The Sky Blues’ explosive attack and the champions’ resiliency on defense will be on display. The City Football Group-owned team is undefeated so far this season and may become the league’s first “invincible” team. However, the Nizams, who have only given up nine goals all season, will stand in their way.
It will be a significant occasion, and if Buckingham’s team does not lose, they will almost certainly win their first trophy of the season and advance to the semifinals.
When the two best teams in the league meet, it will be a battle of epic proportions, and if their previous encounter was any indication, fans are in for a treat. A draw would be a fair outcome given the Islanders’ attacking threat and the Nizams’ defense, which may well cancel each other out.
Prediction: Mumbai City 1 – 1 Fateh Hyderabad FC
In terms of their previous records, these two teams are on equal footing, having won two of the seven league meetings. The remaining three matches concluded in a draw. In the previous meeting between Marquez and Buckingham, which took place in October of this year, their teams played out a thrilling 3-3 draw.
After a week’s break, it will be interesting to see how the Nizams will line up for arguably the most crucial match of the season thus far. The Nizams have used the same starting XI for their past two games.
With Gurmeet Singh in goal, their Spanish coach won’t likely change much with his 4-2-3-1 system. With the double pivot of Borja Herrera and Hitesh Sharma operating in the engine room, Nikhil Poojari, Odei Onaindia, Nim Dorjee Tamang, and Akash Mishra will marshal the defense.
Mohammad Yasir and Rohit Danu, both Indian wingers, will provide speed and trickery, and Bartholomew Ogbeche will start in place of Javier Siverio.
Hyderabad (4-2-3-1):
Mumbai City (4-3-3):
| Country | Channels |
| United Kingdom | BoxNation |
| Germany | DAZN, DAZN2 |
| United States | Fox Soccer Plus, ViX |
| France | Molotov, Free, L’Equipe, L’Equipe Web |
| Nepal | SONY TEN 3 HD, Sony LIV, SONY TEN 3 |
| India | JioTV, SONY TEN 3 HD, SONY TEN 3, Sony LIV |
| Sri Lanka | Sony LIV, SONY TEN 3, SONY TEN 3 HD |