EB looking to banish the Blues

Bhubaneswar, April 19

Bengaluru FC’s bid to win a fifth title in as many seasons of the club’s existence will face one last hurdle in East Bengal as the two sides go to battle in the final of the Super Cup here on Friday.

Albert Roca’s Blues, who missed out on the ISL title after going down in a final just a little more than a month ago, have a shot at redemption. The Spanish manager said hunger and confidence was what would propel the Blues’ charge.

“We’ve kept aside the disappointment of not winning the ISL because it won’t do us any good. If anything, it has made us hungrier to keep alive the tradition of this club winning a trophy every season,” Roca said. 

“The Super Cup final is another chance and we will be going into the game with the right amount of confidence. We’ve been consistent and have had a fantastic season so far. It would be nice to have a trophy for our efforts,” he added.

Bengaluru have been clinical all through the tournament, always finding the answers to come away with a win. The Blues shrugged off the rust to beat Gokulam Kerala FC 2-1 before beating Neroca FC 3-1. In their best performance, a 10-man Bengaluru came from a goal down to beat Mohun Bagan 4-2 in the semifinals.

East Bengal, on the other hand, have been doing just enough to progress. They started with a 2-1 win over Mumbai City FC and followed it up with 1-0 wins over both Aizawl FC and FC Goa to set up a date with Bengaluru.

Roca brushed aside talk of Bengaluru’s billing as favourites going into the final but hoped his side would get a grip on the game as it progressed. “We have a 50 percent chance to win this and I’m hoping that as the game wears on, we increase that number. East Bengal will enter the game with a similar belief, so I don’t really make much of that tag we’ve been given,” Roca said.

The Blues are sweating over the fitness of two vital players, Juanan Gonzalez and Rahul Bheke. 

The Spanish centre-half was pulled out of the squad minutes before kick-off against Mohun Bagan, complaining of pain in his rib cage, while Bheke was an early substitution against Neroca FC in the quarterfinal after injuring his leg. 

“Both of them aren’t 100 percent ready and I’m hoping that our medical team pulls off a little miracle. What I am certain of though is that whoever plays in those positions will be completely ready for the job at hand,” said Roca.

East Bengal have an injury concern of their own after striker Dudu Omagbemi, whose goal against FC Goa sent the Kolkata club to the final, left the pitch holding his hamstring and in visible pain. 

Dudu aside, coach Khalid Jamil has enough quality in his other foreign players. Katsumi Yusa, Mahmoud Al Amna, Ansumana Kromah and Eduardo Ferreira are all experienced hands who have been part of championship-winning teams.

“There is always a temptation to try to think differently for a final,” said Jamil. “But we need to go ahead with normal preparations which we do for every match. We need to think about ourselves and stay positive. We need to play our game.”

A free-scoring Bengaluru will hope their lethal attack turns up with the goals yet again. Sunil Chhetri and Miku have both notched hat-tricks in the tournament and Udanta Singh has been causing all sorts of trouble for defenders through the season with his pace and quality of the final balls into the box.

East Bengal’s central defender Eduardo Ferreira said the Red and Gold could not afford any lapse in concentration. “We need to stay switched on all throughout,” Ferreira said. “We will give our best but it’s more important to stay alert. Even for a moment, we get a bit complacent, we will be hit hard.” — IANS