Hyderabad FC and East Bengal will battle it out in Group B of the Hero Super Cup 2023. Powerhouses of Indian football, including Hyderabad FC, Odisha FC, East Bengal FC, and Aizawl FC, will compete in Group B for the top spot and a place in the semi-finals. All four teams will be trying to secure the season’s trophy after failing to achieve their goals in the Hero ISL and Hero I-League, respectively. After coming second in the Hero ISL league and falling in the semi-finals to eventual winners ATK Mohun Bagan, Hyderabad FC will be looking to claim the crown.
It is also an opportunity for Odisha FC to demonstrate their worth following their first-ever playoff finish in Hero ISL 2022-23. East Bengal FC would like to spoil the celebration for the Hero ISL sides after finishing seventh in the Hero I-League following a disappointing league campaign. Aizawl FC will like to spoil the party for the Hero ISL sides after finishing seventh in the Hero I-League. The 2016-17 Hero I-League champions have their own threats and are a team full of character and passion; Caetano Pinho’s team would seek to showcase their own brand of football and compete for a Semi-final position.
After losing in the semi-finals to eventual champions ATK Mohun Bagan, Hyderabad FC will turn their attention to Group B of the Hero Super Cup 2023 as their final chance to capture a trophy this season. Manolo Marquez has announced his strongest squad, and after an amazing league record of 13 victories and only four defeats, the Hero ISL 2021-22 champions will want to make a strong push for the title and send their coach out on a high note. The Spaniard revealed that he will leave the club at the end of the competition after three seasons.
Marquez’s side won both Hero ISL league matches against East Bengal FC and split the spoils with Odisha FC into two games, the two other contenders in group B. Bartholomew Ogbeche will lead the attack for Hyderabad FC, and with 10 goals and two assists in the Hero ISL, the Nigerian striker is in good form and will be hoping to add to his tally. Hyderabad FC had the greatest defense in the Hero ISL, conceding only 16 goals in 20 matches, and they will rely on that stability to win another trophy for the Spaniard before he goes.
The Juggernauts will be trying to go one step further in the Hero Super Cup after making it to the Hero ISL playoffs for the first time in their history. They were defeated 2-0 by ATK Mohun Bagan in the Eliminator, but the Juggernauts aren’t going down without a fight. Odisha FC will be seeking to prove how they inflicted the double on East Bengal FC and handed Manolo Marquez’s men one of their just four defeats in the Hero ISL League season after being dubbed “the comeback kings of the season.”
The Juggernauts have the most in-form striker in the country in Diego Mauricio, the league’s leading scorer. The Brazilian striker has had nine goals in his past ten outings and would like to continue his good form and repeat his heroics against the Red and Gold Brigade in January. Although Gombau has departed, the squad is still led by Clifford Miranda, who has been named interim head coach. If the Indian performs well and helps Odisha FC win their first-ever trophy, he would be considered for a permanent position.
East Bengal FC has a great history, and Stephen Constantine’s men will try to live up to it in the Super Cup and end the club’s trophy drought. After a poor Hero ISL campaign in which they finished ninth in the table, the Red and Golds will not enter the event as favorites. East Bengal FC, on the other hand, has players in Cleiton Silva and Naorem Mahesh Singh who can harm any club on the day, and they would like to back those two up top with greater defensive efforts. East Bengal FC can spring a surprise or two if Constantine can galvanize his squad.
For more football news, click here
