Bengaluru FC are in with a chance to make a third summit clash this season when they square off against Jamshedpur FC in the semifinal of the 2023 Super Cup at the EMS Stadium in Kozhikode on Friday. The Blues, who finished atop Group A with five points, are up against Aidy Boothroyd’s Red Miners, who are the only side with a perfect record in the competition and will look to reach a first final since their inception.
“They had a very difficult start to the season but in the second half, they were very good. I’ve faced teams managed by Aidy many times in my career, and they’ve always been very hard to play against and score a lot of goals. Jamshedpur FC, especially in this tournament, have had some fantastic results. So, we are under no illusion that this is an easy game,” added Grayson.
Grayson’s men will take confidence from their recent results against Jamshedpur FC, with the Blues victorious on both occasions in the Indian Super League, winning 1-0 at the Kanteerava in December before claiming a 3-0 result in the reverse fixture at the JRD Tata Sports Complex in January. The Blues, who returned to their base in Bengaluru, are set to fly out to Kozhikode once again on Thursday night.
“I think it was a welcome break for us, as it helped us recharge our batteries a little bit. We returned to Bengaluru FC, worked on a few things, recovered well and now we’re ready to go again. We want to show a good account of ourselves and give our fans something to cheer about,” said Grayson, speaking ahead of the game.
Roy Krishna, who scored the Blues’ only goal in their Group A clincher against Kerala Blasters, has found the net on seven occasions against the Red Miners. Grayson’s rotation of his strike partnership has seen Krishna, Sunil Chhetri and Sivasakthi Narayanan starting two games apiece through the group stages.
“Friday’s fixture is another tough test, but it’s also an opportunity for us to make a third final this season, which would be a fantastic achievement. Having played in two finals, I know we have the experience of playing and winning in the big games and hopefully that will prove to be a positive at the sound of the final whistle on Friday night,” Grayson opined.
In the visitors’ camp, Boothroyd will have Daniel Chima Chukwu available for selection, with the Nigerian having missed their final group game against Gokulam Kerala to suspension. Brazilian midfielder Rafael Crivellaro, who was rested for that encounter, could also make a return to the starting eleven. Striker Harrison Sawyer, with three goals in as many games, is the Red Miners top-scorer.
Friday’s encounter, which pits the highest-scoring team against the team that has conceded the fewest goals in the tournament, will be one to watch out for and is scheduled to kick off at 7pm. Telecast for the fixture will be available on Sony Sports 2 with live streaming on FanCode.