Odisha FC lock horns with Aizawl FC in their second fixture of Group B of the Hero Super Cup at the Payyanad Stadium, Manjeri, in Kerala, on Thursday.

The Juggernauts shared the spoils in the first fixture against East Bengal FC and the Clifford Miranda-led side would be looking to get the first victory against Aizawl FC to set up the final encounter against Hyderabad FC.

The Bhubaneswar-based side trailed in the first half against East Bengal FC before their Hero ISL star performer Nandhakumar Sekar equalised in the 73rd minute. Miranda would be hoping for his decisive attacking duo of Nandhakumar Sekar and Diego Mauricio, who combined for 18 out of 30 league goals for Odisha FC in the Hero ISL 2022-23.

Aizawl FC would be looking to bounce back after the 2-1 defeat in the opening fixture against Hyderabad FC. Caetano Pino's team finished seventh in the Hero I-League and the fixture against the Kalinga Warriors would be of the utmost priority with a defeat pushing them closer to the elimination.

Pino backed his team and expressed "The people club" will give their everything on the pitch. "We'll try to take out positives from our first match and do our best to win this time".

East Bengal FC lock horns against Hyderabad FC

East Bengal FC will hope to turn their erratic season around when they face Hyderabad FC in their second Hero Super Cup game in Group B at the Payyanad Stadium in Manjeri, Kerala, on Thursday.

The Kolkata-based outfit played a hard fought draw against Odisha FC in their opener, while Hyderabad Fc ran out 2-1 winners in another close game against I-league side Aizawl FC.

East Bengal head coach was keen to lay emphasis on the performances his team put forth through the season. The Englishman said that while performances had been satisfactory, he felt they should have won more points.

Constantine was also full of praise for his counterpart, Manolo Marquez, at the pre match press conference. "Manolo has done a fantastic job over the last few years, has taken the team to the play-offs and finished as champions," he said. Despite losing both times they faced Hyderabad this season Constantine said his side had played well, and was hopeful that could cause an upset tomorrow.

Marquez on the other hand didn't pay much heed to his side's unbeaten record against East Bengal and insisted that each game be played on its own merit. The Spaniard said he would play some new faces tomorrow, citing the tournament as the perfect stage to allow players a fair chance to prove their mettle and showcase their potential.

"I really don't need to motivate the players every time as they are great professionals and we are focused on facing East Bengal," he said.

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Odisha FCHyderabad FC2022-2023East Bengal FC