The group stages of the Hero Super Cup 2023 will begin this weekend, on Saturday, April 8, 2023, after qualifying rounds conclude. Four qualifying teams will now compete with the remaining 12 teams in the main competition. However, the 16 clubs are now separated into four groups, with only the club finishing first in the standings after three games proceeding to the tournaments’ quarterfinals.
Bengaluru FC, Kerala Blasters, RoundGlass Punjab, and Sreenidhi Deccan are in Group A, together with ISL finalists Bengaluru FC. From the looks of it, this is the tournament’s so-called “group of death.” It has a powerful engine. It features Bengaluru FC, the first victor of the Super Cup, as well as two I-League teams that dominated that league this season. After being fined by AIFF and facing a 10-match ban for the head coach, Kerala Blasters will aim to stand firm in the current hostile climate.
Bengaluru FC
Preview
Bengaluru FC came agonisingly close to capturing their second ISL title last month in Goa, but were ousted in a nail-biting penalty shootout by ATK Mohun Bagan. The Blues staged an incredible turnaround during the season, when even qualifying for the ISL playoffs, much alone playing in a final, appeared unlikely. Nonetheless, the 2018 Super Cup champions have a chance to repeat as champions.
Yet, the 2018 Super Cup champions have a chance to repeat as champions to reward their efforts. Simon Grayson’s squad is the favourite to win Group A, but given the group’s calibre, it might come down to the final day of the group stages.
Gurpreet Singh Sandhu, Amrit Gope, Lara Sharma, and Sharon Padattil are the goalkeepers for the squad.
Sandesh Jhingan, Parag Shrivas, Aleksandar Jovanovic, Naorem Roshan Singh, Prabir Das, Namgyal Bhutia, Wungngayam Muirang, Robin Yadav, and Biswa Darjee were the defenders.
Bruno Ramires, Jayesh Rane, Suresh Wangjam, Javi Hernandez, Rohit Kumar, Pablo Perez, Ashish Jha, Lalremtluanga Fanai, Thoi Singh, Damaitphang Lyngdoh, Shreyas Ketkar are among the midfielders.
Sunil Chhetri, Sivasakthi Narayanan, Roy Krishna, Harmanpreet Singh, Leon Augustine, and Udanta Singh are the strikers.
Simon Grayson is the head coach.
Alan Costa has returned to Brazil following the end of his two-season loan stay with the club. With fresh arrivals, defender Robin Yadav and midfielder Lalremtluanga Fanai from the Karnataka team that won the 76th Santosh Trophy earlier this year, three players from the Bengaluru FC B-Team have made it to the senior side. Ashish Jha and Shreyas Ketkar are also new additions. Gurpreet Singh Sandhu, the Blues’ captain, and midfielder Rohit Kumar recently extended their contracts with the club.
Kerala Blasters FC
Preview
Kerala Blasters were punished severely for their walkout decision in the ISL playoff match against Bengaluru FC, which forced them to play the Super Cup without Ivan Vukomanovic on the sidelines. That might either be a devastating blow or inspire them with incentive to compete in this tournament as a result of the scenario. They may not have chosen Group A because they will face the Blues again in a rematch of that contentious encounter, as well as the top two sides from the I-League. Blasters are not anticipated to go down without a fight and are likely to challenge their opponents for the top slot in the group, despite the fact that this group is rife with surprises.
Squads
Goalkeepers in the squad: Sachin Suresh, Prabhsukhan Gill, Karanjit Singh, and Muheet Shabir.
Muhammad Saheef, Sandeep Singh, Ruivah Hormipam, Tejas Krishna, Nishu Kumar, Marko Leskovic, Victor Mongil, and Bijoy Varghese are the defenders.
Danish Farooq, Ayush Adhikari, Jeakson Singh, Vibin Mohanan, Mohammed Azhar, and Ivan Kaliuzhnyi are the midfielders.
Bryce Miranda, Saurav Mandal, Rahul KP, Nihal Sudeesh, Dimitrios Diamantakos, Bidyashagar Singh, Apostolos Giannou, Sahal Abdul Samad, Mohamed Aimen, Sreekutan MS are the forwards.
Ivan Vukomanovic is the head coach.
Adrian Luna, the Uruguayan playmaker, has declared that he would not be participating in the Super Cup owing to personal issues. In the previous ISL season, he had four goals and six assists. Jessel Carneiro is the club captain. However, he will also be absent owing to an injury that will keep him out of the game.
Read More :- Hyderabad FC leads Group B after defeating Aizawl FC
RoundGlass Punjab FC
Preview
Beating the ISL sides to first place in the group and securing a spot among the final four is an ambitious but not unattainable goal for RoundGlass Punjab FC following their outstanding season in the I-League. Winning the title for the second time aided them in becoming the first I-League team to be promoted to the ISL. They will now compete in the Super Cup against teams from the top division to demonstrate their strength before playing them again in the next ISL season. The Warriors will also play Sreenidi Deccan, with whom they had a tight battle for the I-League title.
Kiran Kumar Limbu, Ravi Kumar, and Jaskarenvir Singh are the team’s goalkeepers.
Aleksandar Ignjatovic, Hmingthanmawia, Suresh Meitei, Deepak Devrani, Naocha Singh, Khaiminthang Lhungdim, Shankar Sampingiraj, Mohamed Salah, Tekcham are the defenders. Mr. Abhishek Singh,
Brandon Vanlalremdika, Ajay Chhetri, Ashis Pradhan, Freddy Lallawmawma, Samuel Lalmuanpuia, Maheson Singh, Juan Nellar, Manglenthang Kipgen, and Aphaoba Singh are the midfielders.
Luka Majcen, Juan Mera, Daniel Lalhlimpuia, Pranjal Bhumij, and Krishnananda Singh are the forwards.
Staikos Vergetis is the head coach.
Sreenidi Deccan
Preview
Sreenidi Deccan is the final formidable side in the group, but they will not be content with finishing last. The three other teams in the group may be the frontrunners to finish first. None the less, Telangana will go to any length to shock the odds. However, Sreenidi is the I-League runners-up. They appeared set to join the big boys in the ISL after a neck-and-neck struggle with RoundGlass Punjab FC. Their uneven play in the past few games cost them the championship. But they’ll shake it off in a new tournament. By defeating Neroca in the second qualifying round, Sreenidi advanced to the group stages.
Aayan Lamba, Jaspreet Singh, and Harsh Patil are the squad goalkeepers.
Bijay Chhetri, Dinesh Singh, Arijit Bagui, Mohamed Awal, and Asraf Mondal are the defenders.
Faysal Shayesteh, Phalguni Singh, Muthu Irulandi Mayakannan, Stanislas Ankira, Umashankar, Arun Kumar, Sriram Boopathi, Rilwan Hassan are the midfielders.
Forwards: David Castaneda, Gabriel Rosenberg, Ramhlunchhunga, Vanlalbiaa Chhangte, and Louis Ogana.
Carlos Manuel Vaz Pinto is the head coach.
Fixtures
The games will be held in Kozhikode’s EMS Stadium.
Saturday, April 8, 2023
5:00 PM – Bengaluru FC vs. Sreenidhi Deccan
8:30 p.m. – Kerala Blasters vs. RoundGlass Punjab
Wednesday, April 12, 2023
5:00 PM – Sreenidhi Deccan vs. Kerala Blasters
8:30 p.m. – RoundGlass Punjab vs. Bengaluru FC
Sunday, April 16, 2023 – 5:00 PM RoundGlass Punjab against Sreenidhi Deccan
8:30 p.m. – Bengaluru FC vs. Kerala Blasters
Follow our Twitter Handle for more updates.
