Spreading the beautiful game across different regions of the country is one of the key objectives in Vision 2047, and the Federation’s plan to host the Hero Super Cup in Kerala, where both Hero ISL and Hero I-League have come together, is part of it. the-aiff.com is currently in Malappuram and Kozhikode and is following the progress of the clubs in the Hero Super Cup closely in a series of stories.

Soumo Ghosh
AIFF Media Team

KOZHIKODE: NorthEast United FC will be banking on support for their local boys to push them ahead in the Hero Super Cup, as they begin their campaign against Chennaiyin FC at the Manjeri Payyanad Stadium in Manjeri, on Tuesday, April 11, 2023.

The side from Guwahati, has six players in their ranks, who hail from Kerala, and have played football in some way or the other in the Kozhikode-Malappuram region. The likes of Mirshad K, Mohammed Irshad, Jithin MS, and Alex Saji are all local boys who have played for Gokulam Kerala before, while Mashoor Shareef hails from the Malappuram district. NorthEast head coach Floyd Pinto feels that this could give his side an added advantage.

Floyd Pinto said, “I saw the atmosphere in Manjeri during the Hero Santosh Trophy, and it was amazing. I hope a good part of the crowd will support us because we have quite a few players from Kerala in our side. Hopefully that will give us a big boost.”

Matches between NorthEast United and Chennaiyin in the Hero ISL this season have been exciting affairs with the latter coming out victorious on both occasions (7-3 and 4-3).

“We have improved towards the end of the season, and our last match with Chennaiyin was pretty close. Hopefully we can go one better and win our first game in the Super Cup,” said Pinto, who had previously created an upset in the 2019 edition of the competition, when his Indian Arrows side defeated Kerala Blasters in the Qualifiers.

“Our result in the ISL does not matter. This is an opportunity for us to prove that we are capable of doing well both physically and tactically. I see smiling faces in training sessions. We will try to do our best,” he said.

Chennaiyin FC have also had a league campaign to forget, and will be looking to redeem themselves in the Hero Super Cup.

“We did not have the best of seasons, but we did end it strongly, which gives us added motivation ahead of the Hero Super Cup,” he said. “It’s a good challenge for the upcoming games, and a chance for us to go far in this competition. I’m excited for tomorrow, and so are the boys. Our first target is to survive the group stage and qualify for the semi-finals.”

The German coach has been a keen follower of Hero I-League action, and feels that the clubs coming from the particular league will also pose a hefty challenge.

“It will be a good challenge against the Hero I-League clubs too. I have been following all their matches, and statistics, and they have some good players,” he said.

The match between Chennaiyin FC and NorthEast United will kick-off at the Manjeri Payyanad Stadium in Manjeri at 8.30 pm IST, and will be broadcast and streamed live on the Sony Sports Network and FanCode, respectively.