East Bengal boss Carles Cuadrat's flight delayed, set to land in Kolkata on Saturday night

East Bengal are scheduled to play Hyderabad FC on January 9 in their first game of Super Cup 2024.

East Bengal are all set to kick off their 2024 Kalinga Super Cup campaign against Hyderabad FC on Tuesday, 9 January. This could be the Kolkata heavyweights’ biggest chance to win a trophy this season after having a topsy-turvy first half in the Indian Super League (ISL) 2023-24.

But before the opening game against Hyderabad FC (on 9 January), head coach Carles Cuadrat has been frustrated by his flight to Bhubaneswar being delayed. The team is scheduled to travel to Odisha on Sunday (7th January) after Carles Cuadrat’s flight to the city was delayed.

Cuadrat had gone for a short vacation after the final game of ISL in 2023, before the AFC Asian Cup break, which saw his side hold Odisha FC to a 0-0 draw.

Cuadrat’s flight delay should, of course, cause no major issues for the squad because they still have a few days in hand before the opening game in the Super Cup. East Bengal’s squad will travel to Bhubaneswar on Sunday as well, as scheduled.

East Bengal’s Super Cup 2024

East Bengal have been placed in a relatively challenging group in the Super Cup, which not only involves Hyderabad FC, but also arch-rivals Mohun Bagan Super Giant. This means that they will play a Kolkata Derby against their arch-rivals at the Kalinga Stadium on Friday, 19 January.

The 2024 Super Cup will feature four group of four teams, and only the winner of each group will be allowed to move forward into the next stage of the competition.

East Bengal are favourites to win both games against last placed Hyderabad FC of ISL and I-League side Sreenidi Deccan, but their biggest challenge will come in the form of the Mariners – whom they defeated earlier this season in the Durand Cup group stages.

East Bengal will hope to get settled nicely in Bhubaneswar after travelling to the host location on Sunday and winning their opening game against Hyderabad FC to pile the pressure on the other teams of the group.

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