Super Cup 2023: Top five favourites teams to win the title

The tournament begins on Monday 3rd April with Rajasthan FC playing NEROCA.

The 2022-23 football season is coming to an end with the Super Cup being the last tournament of the season. 16 teams are set to take part (consisting of ISL and I League teams) in the third edition of the Super Cup. The 16 teams are divided into four groups (main draw) and the top teams from each group progress through to the semifinals.

All eleven clubs from the Indian Super League and winners of the I-League enter the group stage directly, and clubs finishing between 2nd to 10th place in the I-League play in a qualifying round for the four remaining spots. For the first time, the champions of the Super Cup will have a chance to participate in an AFC competition.

In this article let us discuss the top five teams who look set to win the Super Cup. 

5. Jamshedpur FC

The Red Miners had a poor ISL 9 season finishing in the tenth spot with 19 points (wins - 5, losses - 11, draws - 4). Three of the five wins in the season overall came in the last four matches. Jamshedpur FC was unbeaten in the last four matches (wins - 3 and draws - 1) and ended the season on a positive note. This also helped them gain momentum ahead of their AFC Champions League playoff match against Mumbai City FC and the Super Cup. Striker Harry Sawyer had a decent season - scoring two goals and providing five assists. Star striker Daniel Chima Chukwu scored five goals.

4. RoundGlass Punjab FC

RoundGlass Punjab became the only club to qualify directly to the main draw of the Super Cup by the virtue of winning the I League. The I League champions are on an eleven-match unbeaten streak (the last defeat against Sreenidhi Deccan) and have scored 45 goals in 22 matches the most in the league.

Slovenian Luca Majcen was named the player of the season and was the league's top scorer with 16 goals. This is also his second successive I League title (2021-22 - Gokulam Kerala). Majcen is also known for delivering in highly intense matches having scored a brace against ATK Mohun Bagan in the group stages of the AFC Cup last year. RoundGlass Punjab is placed alongside Bengaluru FC and Kerala Blasters FC and will face a stern test from the two sides.

3. ATK Mohun Bagan

The ISL 9 winners peaked at the right time in the ISL. ATK Mohun Bagan had an inconsistent season overall but won three back-to-back games ahead of the playoffs which helped them gain momentum. The main worry for them will be the form of Liston Colaco and the injury status of Manvir Singh. The former scored only one goal in the group stages while Manvir was injured ahead of the international friendlies. 

Dimitri Petratos and Slavko Damjanovic will play a key role in the Super Cup. Dimitri was the joint top goal scorer along with Diego Mauricio and Cleiton Silva (12 goals). He scored the equalizer in the final and scored two goals overall. The arrival of Damjanovic has strengthened the defence of ATK Mohun Bagan. The Montenegrin centre-back has combined well with experienced Pritam Kotal.

2. Hyderabad FC

The Nizams continued from where they left off in the previous season by finishing in the second spot in the league stages of the ISL. Hyderabad FC was one of the few teams who looked solid in both the attack and defence. Bartholomew Ogbeche was the highest goal scorer (ten) with Halicharan Narzary (six) and Borja Herrera (five) providing the highest number of assists.

Out of the four matches Hyderabad FC lost in the entire season, two of them came in the last four matches of the group stages. The Nizams will look to bounce back strongly after their semifinal loss to ATK Mohun Bagan in the ISL.

1. Mumbai City FC 

The Islanders will look to come back strong after failing to qualify for the ISL 9 final. They finished the season in the top spot claiming the ISL shield trophy and were on an 18-match unbeaten streak. Ahead of the Super Cup, Mumbai City FC is set to take on Jamshedpur FC in the AFC Champions League (Asia’s premium football club competition) qualifiers spot on April 4th.

Lallianzuala Chhangte played a key role in the recent tri-nation friendlies against Myanmar and the Kyrgyz Republic. The 25-year-old was involved in 16 goal contributions (goals - 10 and assists - 6) which is the most by an Indian in the season. He will once again play a crucial role in combining with Pereyra Diaz in the final third. Also, Mumbai City would look to finish the season on a high after reaching the final of the Durand Cup and then lifting the ISL shield.