The Hero Indian Super League (ISL) outfit Odisha FC is set to make their Hero Super Cup debut against 2018 runners-up East Bengal FC at the Payyanad Stadium in Manjeri, Kerala, on Sunday.

After four seasons in the Hero 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 FC head coach Clifford Miranda.

"The AFC Cup slot is very important, so we want to give our best like all the other 16 teams that are vying for that place," he said.

“There are no easy teams in this league-cum-knockout tournament. We've had two training sessions so far, and we are trying to adapt to the Kerala heat, but the conditions are the same for all teams,” Miranda added.

The Odisha FC supporters and the head coach Miranda were thrilled by Hero ISL Golden Boot winner Diego Mauricio's recent contract renewal. They will be anticipating more of his heroics in the Hero Super Cup and for the squad to win their first trophy at the upcoming competition.

"We would love to have Diego repeat his Hero ISL performances here in Kerala - not just in terms of scoring goals, but also working for the team as a unit."

Odisha FC and East Bengal FC played out two thrilling encounters in the Hero ISL this season, both of which went the former's way (4-2 in Kolkata and 3-1 in Bhubaneswar). The fans will be in for another fascinating encounter between two teams that will be looking to finish strong and gain some consistency.

“Irrespective of the scoreline, both games were close. It’s going to be tight against them again, so we have to play to the best of our abilities,” Miranda stated.

East Bengal FC head coach Stephen Constantine stated that his side deserved more from both those games. The Red and Gold Brigade certainly will be in the game looking for a result for the fans to cheer on.

"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 on Sunday.

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 team will need to be at their best and need to pull up their socks as every team will be giving it their all where the competition is going to be stiff.

"It's going to be three difficult games. We came here to qualify from the group, and we want to do that."

East Bengal will hope to go one step better than they did in the 2018 edition of the Hero Super Cup, where they eliminated Mumbai City FC, Aizawl FC, and FC Goa before losing out to Bengaluru FC in the final in Bhubaneswar.

The Hero Super Cup game between Odisha FC and East Bengal FC will be televised on the Sony Sports 2 channel and streamed on FanCode.

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Odisha FCEast Bengal FC2022-2023 Diego Mauricio