Hyderabad FC and Odisha FC have stood out in this edition of the Indian Super League for putting their faith in youth and giving them first team opportunities.
The clubs have displayed immense courage to field young players, but so far, both sides have tasted different outcomes when it comes to results on the field.
While Hyderabad FC are going through a purple patch and are fourth in the table, Odisha FC find themselves at the bottom of the table as the two go up against each other in the Indian Super League on Tuesday.
Hyderabad have successfully integrated young players like Liston Colaco, Mohammed Yasir, Akash Mishra and Asish Rai into the first team alongside seasoned campaigners like Aridane Santana and Halicharan Narzary.
Manuel Roca's men almost came away with victory against league leaders Mumbai City and showed that they are genuine contenders for a play-off berth.
Odisha FC have shown in glimpses that they can play good football but their veteran head coach Stuart Baxter knows that his team needs to find a balance of experience and youth similar to that of Hyderabad. While the likes of Hendry Antonay and Thoiba Singh are ones for the future, the club have brought in a new player in the transfer window. In order to inject some experience into the side, they have roped in Rakesh Pradhan who joined them on loan from NorthEast United.
"We have a very young squad and I think his (Rakesh’s) experience will give us something. I think his versatility, he can play as a wide player for the forward or he can play as a left-back, should give us something. It’s very quick for him to come in and walk straight into the team. But we will assess all injuries, we will assess the stats and based on that we will see if he starts on the bench or he starts in the starting line-up," said Baxter.
When these two teams met in the reverse fixture back in November, it was Hyderabad who emerged victorious thanks to an Aridane winner.
"In that game, we played better but we only won 1-0 with a penalty. Odisha have been playing better in the last few games. I know they are the last team on the table but all the people who are following this championship know you can win or lose against other teams," said Roca.
Hyderabad have been receiving praise from various quarters and even Baxter applauded Tuesday's opponents.
"They are one of the best teams. I like the way they play, they can play both on transition and their gameplan can also work when they spread teams out, push their fullbacks forward, try to create little overloads. I think that with Aridane as a striker, they can go a little bit long if they want. They are may be one of the most complete teams and the coaches have done a very very good job,” the 67-year-old stated.
While Hyderabad are flying high at the moment, Odisha have players like Diego Mauricio and Marcelinho who can change the game on their own and a positive result on Tuesday could help them start their climb up the table.