Jamshedpur FC is all set to take on Bengaluru FC in the semifinals of the Hero Super Cup 2023 at the EMS Corporation Stadium in Kozhikode on Friday, and the stakes couldn’t be higher. The winner enters the finals of the Hero Super Cup, with an opportunity to win silverware and book a spot in the AFC Cup playoff match against I-League side Gokulam Kerala FC on April 29.
With a lot on the line, Jamshedpur FC Head Coach Aidy Boothroyd highlighted the positives in his team’s display so far and the challenge that lies ahead in the form of Bengaluru FC.
“I’m very pleased with the group stages,” Aidy said in the pre-match press conference.
“But it’s finished now and it means nothing. We’ve been working as hard as we could, scored 11 goals, pleased with our attacking play overall I’ve really enjoyed the tournament and looking forward to the next game.
“Bengaluru are a good team with a good manager. They won the Durand Cup and got to two semifinals so they must be respected which our opponents always are but we have to come up with a plan to nullify their strengths and exploit their weaknesses so we’ll be working hard to do that.”
Jamshedpur have indeed been flying high heading into the last four, becoming the only side to gather nine points out of nine in the Super Cup group stages and scoring the highest number of goals in the tournament with 11.
But after a tough Hero ISL campaign, there is no rest for the weary, and Boothroyd made it clear that his side’s focus is well and truly on going all the way in the Hero Super Cup.
“It’s really important to finish well in the Super Cup because we want to win every single game we play and quite rightly so we didn’t have a good start in the Hero ISL but I think we’ve picked up and been very good, scored a lot of goals, won a lot of games and really we don’t want the season to end it’s really important for us to finish on a high.”
Fresh off a win in their final Group C match against Gokulam Kerala FC, the Men of Steel are raring to go against a tough side in Bengaluru FC in a clash that promises to be an exciting one.
The action kicks off at 7 PM on Friday, April 21, and fans can watch it live on TV on Sony Sports Ten 2 and stream it live on Fancode.