Having endured one of their worst starts to the season with a 0-4 thrashing by Mohun Bagan Super Giant in their debut AFC Cup game two days ago, Odisha FC (OFC) would like to hit the refresh button quickly as they take on Chennaiyin (CFC) FC in their opening game of the tenth season of India Super League (ISL) at Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneswar on Saturday evening.
Under new coach Sergio Lobera, the Juggernauts have enough firepower in the squad to leave that heavy defeat behind and give their fans some reasons to cheer for in the campaign opener. With loads of experience and success in ISL, the Spaniard is known for his attacking bend of mind that has helped him achieve top honours earlier with FC Goa and Mumbai City FC.
Two-time ISL champions CFC have had a forgettable 8th-place finish last season and have turned to their trusted former gaffer Owen Coyle who guided them to the ISL final in 2019-20 season. Helping Jamshedpur FC to the League Winners Shield in 2021-22 season is the Scot’s latest exploits and the Marina Machans would take heart from that to regroup this season for an improved show.
Speaking ahead of their ISL opener at the press conference in Bhubaneswar on Thursday, Lobera said, "We are very excited. We are going to start our new season. We are ready. I think this will be the most competitive ISL season that I have experienced. This is my fifth year working in ISL. We are going to play very strong teams, we accept the challenge."
Reflecting on their AFC Cup loss, he added, "The first game against Mohun Bagan Super Giant in the AFC Cup was difficult but we need to continuously work, analyse the games as professionals. For me as a coach, in the first half we did many good things, playing XI vs XI, we competed well against very good teams but now it’s a new chapter. We are starting a new season – the first game at home in front of our supporters against a good team and we are excited about this."
Meanwhile, the Chennaiyin coach believed his team was ready to jump into the excitement of a new ISL season, albeit away from home.
"I think every team in the country and everyone in our camp is excited to start the new season. We obviously have a tough game against Odisha. They are a very good club. But yeah, we are looking forward to getting there. We saw the game last night and the excitement in the Kerala-Bengaluru game. So of course, we are excited and looking forward to giving our best foot forward," Coyle said on Thursday.
