East Bengal FC will lean on its rich legacy and a recent surge in form to leverage its chances against defending champion and home favourite Odisha FC when the two clash for the Kalinga Super Cup, at the Kalinga Stadium here on Sunday evening.
The final is going to be a feisty affair considering the arsenal the two sides possess. Both teams seem to be on an even keel, having won all their four group matches and the semifinals while making their way to the title round.
In every assessment, the two match each other in almost all departments. But when it comes to consistency, Odisha FC steals the march for being the more successful side. The Juggernauts have remained unbeaten in the 15 matches (across ISL, AFC Cup and Super Cup) while winning an enviable 13 of them.
East Bengal weathered a shaky start before steadying itself in the later stages of the ISL. The red and gold brigade has remained unbeaten in the last nine games while recording five wins in them.
The final also offers East Bengal a big chance to erase a prolonged title drought of 12 years when it comes to winning a national championship. The Federation Cup title in 2012 was the last big triumph listed in the name of the Torch Bearers of Kolkata.
“Both teams present good dynamics of results in their performances. We have been performing consistently. And it is the same with Odisha, as they have a longer unbeaten streak,” East Bengal coach Carles Cuadrat said while assessing the two sides. “Unfortunately, those dynamics are going to break as one of the teams is going to lose tomorrow. It will be a very difficult game, but we will try to win as we have been doing in the last few matches.”
