Hero Super Cup 2023: Odisha FC vs East Bengal Live Updates

8:15 PM IST: Hello everyone and welcome to Khel Now’s LIVE COVERAGE of the Odisha FC vs East Bengal match in the Hero Super Cup 2023. The kick-off is at 8:30 PM IST! I’m your host Projjal Das, and I’ll be keeping you company through what promises a fascinating evening of football. Please wait for 30 Seconds for the Live blog to load.

Hero Super Cup 2023: Odisha FC vs East Bengal - Build-up

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

After four seasons in the 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.”

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.”