Goa, December 31, 2020.

FC Goa will look to build on their win over Jamshedpur in their last game and head towards a place in the top four. Up against them on Wednesday night are Hyderabad FC.

After a dismal debut season in the Indian Super League, the team from the City of Nizams have looked like a wholly changed unit this time around. Characterised by their fluency of play, their young yet talented Indian core has really come in for some much-deserved praise this season.

Meanwhile, the Gaurs are looking for better consistency in their performances as the new-look team heads towards the halfway stage of the league. It’s been a mixed bag of a season for defending league champions in terms of results.

Although they have impressed time and again with their flair and panache on the pitch, results haven’t reflected their dominance on the pitch. And that’s something that Juan Ferrando will look to put right.

The Spaniard saw his side clinch a vital win in their last game against Jamshedpur FC as Igor Angulo delivered again - this time with a winning header in the 4th minute of added-on time.

And now against Hyderabad, the Gaurs will look to up the ante and build on the momentum regained. Heading into the game here are 10 things you need to know:

0.7 - Alexander Romario Jesuraj is placed second on the assists table with 3 to his name. However, his average of 0.7 assists per 90 minutes played has only been matched by former Gaur, Hugo Boumous so far this season.

5: Hyderabad has not kept a clean sheet in any of their last 5 games. Their 2 clean sheets this season came in their opening 2 games against Odisha FC and Bengaluru FC. FC Goa meanwhile hasn’t been able to blank their opponents in their last 3.

5: Juan Ferrando’s men have shown some real combative spirit this season. The Gaurs have rescued a total of 5 points from losing positions so far. The defending league champions eked out draws against Bengaluru FC and NorthEast United after going down 0-2 and 0-1 respectively at the beginning of the campaign. Then against Jamshedpur FC last Wednesday, Goa showed real grit and class to come back from falling a goal behind in the first half to record a 2-1 win.

8: The Hyderabad FC squad comprises of 8 former Gaurs. Halicharan Narzary, Liston Colaco, Laxmikant Kattimani, Sahil Tavora and Chinglensana Singh have all represented FC Goa in the ISL as well. Meanwhile, Mohammad Yasir was a part of the Super Cup squad in 2018. Lalawmpuia and Sweden Fernandes were parts of the FC Goa Developmental Team that won the Goa Pro League in 2018/19.

17 - FC Goa leads the league in terms of the highest time for a team keeping possession of the ball on average. The Gaurs have kept possession of the ball for an average of 17 seconds and 64% on average in games (also a league-high figure).

18.6 - Always advertent towards intricate passing, FC Goa ranks the lowest in terms of the average distance of passes. An average distance of an FC Goa pass is 18.6 m. Hyderabad is third lowest on the table with their passes travelling an average of 19.4 m. ATK Mohun Bagan leads the league in that respect with an average pass from the Mariners travelling an average of 21.5 m.

24.1 - FC Goa is on top of the table in the league in terms of average duration for goal-scoring attacks so far. The average time of an attack from which the Gaurs have scored normally last 24.1 seconds - more than anyone else’s. The second on that list is Bengaluru FC, whose goalscoring attacks lasts an average of 16.6 seconds.

30: Jorge Ortiz leads the league in terms of shots on goal. The Spaniard has attempted 30 shots on goal with 13 of them being on target - a success rate of 43%. The second name on that list is the leader in the race for the ISL Golden Boot, Igor Angulo. The forward has taken a total of 23 attempts on goal with 13 of them being on target - a success rate of 57%.

52: FC Goa’s last game against Jamshedpur FC was the first time in 52 games that Lenny Rodrigues didn’t feature in a game for the Gaurs, his first since signing for the ISL league champions in 2018. The central midfielder started all 43 games Goa played in the 2018/19 and 2019/20 seasons in addition to all 4 games in the Gaurs’ triumphant Super Cup campaign in 2019. He had started the first 6 games this campaign before coming on as a substitute against Chennaiyin.

64: Jorge Ortiz leads the league in terms of dribbles attempted as well as successfully completed. The Spaniard has attempted a total of 64 dribbles and successfully completed 38 of them - a success rate of 59%.