Want to win Super Cup to get into the AFC Cup: Bengaluru FC’s Simon Grayson

Bengaluru FC head coach Simon Grayson wants to win Super Cup in order to get into AFC Cup. The Blues will face Odisha FC in the final of the tournament at the EMS Corporation Stadium in Kozhikode, Kerala on Tuesday.

Earlier in the season, Bengaluru FC had won Durand Cup after beating Mumbai City FC. Subsequently, the Blues qualified for the Hero ISL final but could not cross the final hurdle against ATK Mohun Bagan.

Meanwhile, in their first match of the Super Cup, Bengaluru FC played a 1-1 draw against Sreenidi Deccan. Then they went on to beat RoundGlass Punjab by 2-0 but shared the spoils against Kerala Blasters as the match ended in a 1-1 draw.

In the semifinal contest, Bengaluru FC defeated Jamshedpur FC by 2-0 after Sunil Chhetri and Jayesh Rane scored for them.

“We’ve got to another final and like the previous finals, we want to try and win it. Going into the competitions, making sure we’re giving the best we can, with the ultimate aim of winning it. We were obviously disappointed to lose the Hero ISL final on penalties (against ATK Mohun Bagan) after such a great run,” Grayson stated in the pre-match press conference.

“We mentioned after that game that we’ve still got more competitions to play with the Hero Super Cup and we’re trying to achieve that. There were real tough games for us to come this far, it’s a great achievement for us and we want to achieve even more things,” he added.

Meanwhile, earlier in the ISL, Bengaluru FC had won against Odisha FC by 3-1 while playing at home at the Sree Kanteerava Stadium in Bengaluru. The Englishman added that they will be looking to win in regulation time.

“We will be trying to win it in 90 minutes and so will Odisha FC. We approach that problem as we go along. I think as coaches, you have to make sure that you have one eye on the extra-time situation, on the substitutions, and on how we play the game. As I said before, both teams will be trying to win it in 90 minutes, but if it goes into extra-time, both teams will be prepared in the right manner. Sometimes, a bit of luck here and there can win you football matches in extra time or in regular time,” Grayson said.

The winner of the Hero Super Cup will face former Hero I-League champions Gokulam Kerala FC for a place in the Group Stage of the AFC Cup 2023-24.

“It’s a massive thing for both clubs to represent your country in a tournament of that magnitude and is very pleasing for everybody. Our football club has been used to that for a number of years, but over the last couple years, have not had much success. We’ve worked extremely hard this year to try and achieve success and we want to win this competition to get to the AFC as well. It’d be fantastic for either of our clubs to be representing India in that particular competition. As I said, maybe that’s not a new thing, but it’s another opportunity to sample playing a different style, a different culture, and different teams,” Grayson stated.