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.

Akhil Rawat
AIFF Media Team

KOZHIKODE: Odisha FC are set to make their Hero Super Cup debut against 2018 runners-up East Bengal FC at the Payyanad Stadium in Manjeri on Sunday, April 9, 2023, at 8:30 pm IST.

After four seasons in the Hero ISL, Odisha FC finally managed to qualify for the play-offs in sixth place but were defeated 0-2 by eventual champions ATK Mohun Bagan. The Hero Super Cup will present the Odisha boys with another opportunity to clinch their first silverware.

Also on offer will be a Hero Club Playoff slot for the AFC Cup for the winners, which has garnered interest from Odisha head coach Clifford Miranda. "The AFC Cup slot is very important, so we want to give our best like all other 16 teams who are vying for that place," he said.

“There are no easy teams in this league-cum-knockout tournament,” Miranda added. “We've had two training sessions so far. We are trying to adapt to the Kerala heat, but the conditions are the same for all teams.”

The recent contract extension of the Hero ISL Golden Boot winner Diego Maurício delighted the Odisha fans and Miranda as well, who hoped for more of his heroics in the Super Cup. "We would love to have Diego repeat his ISL performances here in Kerala - not just in terms of scoring goals, but also working for the team as a unit."

Odisha and East Bengal played out two thrilling encounters in the Hero ISL this season, both of which went the former's way (4-2 in Kolkata and 3-1 in Bhubaneswar). “Irrespective of the scoreline, both the games were close,” said Miranda. “It’s going to be tight against them again, so we have to play to the best of our abilities.”

East Bengal head coach Stephen Constantine stated that his side deserved more from both those games. "We should've won the first one (when East Bengal were 2-0 up), and at least drawn the second one. Hopefully, we get the result that we want tomorrow.

Like Miranda, Constantine also believes that the AFC Cup spot will be the biggest motivation for the players in the Hero Super Cup. However, to get that far his side will need to be at their best. "It's going to be three difficult games. We came here to qualify from the group and we want to do that."

East Bengal will hope to go one step better than they did in the 2018 edition of the Hero Super Cup, where they eliminated Mumbai City, Aizawl and FC Goa before losing out to Bengaluru FC in the final in Bhubaneswar.

The Hero Super Cup game between Odisha FC and East Bengal FC will be telecast on the Sony Sports 2 channel and streamed on FanCode.