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Bengaluru FC will look to get their first win of the 2023 Super Cup when they face RoundGlass Punjab FC in their second Group A encounter at the EMS Stadium in Kozhikode on Wednesday, April 12.
The Blues, who began their campaign with a 1-1 draw against Sreenidi Deccan FC last Saturday, will look to get three points on board to boost their chances of making it to the knockout round, ahead of their final encounter against the Kerala Blasters.
“There were positives from the last game including (Lalremtluanga) Fanai’s debut. Each game we need to be better than the last one, so everyone’s focused and knows what needs to be done. The mood is positive and we’ve got some good team spirit going on as well,” said Bengaluru FC head coach Simon Grayson on the eve of the fixture, which will also be the first competitive meeting between the two sides.
RoundGlass Punjab FC, who were crowned champions of the 2022-23 I-League, started their campaign with a 3-1 defeat against Kerala Blasters in their opening fixture. But, Staikos Vergetis’ side contain a good balance of experience and youth and have proven their credentials in the I-League last season. The Warriors conceded only 16 goals and kept 11 clean sheets in the I-League last season, the best defensive record in the division.
Bengaluru FC will bank on the services of Sunil Chhetri, Roy Krishna and Javi Hernandez, who started the Blues’ Super Cup opener and contributed to as many as half of the Blues’ goals in the Indian Super League. The clash between the Blues backline and Punjab’s attacking duo of Luka Majcen (16 goals) and Juan Mera (10 goals) will be one to watch out for.
“RoundGlass Punjab are a very good team. They won the league last season and although they lost their last game, they have some good players and play good football, so we won’t be taking the game lightly,” said Grayson when asked about the Blues’ opponents.
Not one to tinker with his squad, it remains to be seen if Grayson makes any changes to his eleven to start the clash on Wednesday. “We will assess and see who is available and who isn’t to see if chances can be given to some other players as well, because we have good strength on our bench as well, with players like Udanta (Singh) and Pablo (Perez),” said Grayson.
The two teams will await the result in the game between Kerala Blasters and Sreenidi Deccan FC, which is set to happen at 5pm and could have a bearing on the later game. Nonetheless, a win on Wednesday night will take Simon Grayson’s men to four points, which would keep them in the hunt for a spot in the knockouts.
Kick-off between the two teams is scheduled for 8:30pm on Wednesday, and will be telecast live on Sony Sports 2 and FanCode.
