Manjeri: Manolo Marquez’s Hyderabad FC is back in action for the first time after the penalty shootout defeat in Kolkata, as they take on Aizawl FC in Hero Super Cup Group B clash at the Payyanad Stadium in Manjeri, in a 5:00 pm kick-off on Sunday, April 9.
HFC will play in their first-ever Super Cup campaign and will look to make a strong start against the I-League side. The Reds, on the other hand, beat TRAU FC in the Super Cup qualifier earlier this month, to register a place in the group stage of the competition.
The Aizawl FC side, currently under Coach Victor Lalbiakmawia, beat TRAU FC 1-0 in their qualifier at Manjeri. Belarus attacker Ivan Veras found the back of the net in that game and could be a danger man for Hyderabad in this game as well.
HFC Head Coach Manolo Marquez spoke to the media ahead of this game and believes that there is no place for complacency in a competition like the Hero Super Cup.
“It is going to be a tough game for our side. We have not played a single game for three weeks now while Aizawl recently beat TRAU and have been preparing for this competition for a slightly longer time,” said Manolo.
“We know that we need to win every game to qualify for the knockouts but Aizawl have a strong squad with quality players and if we lose, I think we do not deserve to qualify in the end,” he added.
Hyderabad named their first team squad for the Super Cup campaign with the likes of Bart Ogbeche, Joao Victor, Halicharan Narzary, Borja Herrera, Javi Siverio, Joel Chianese, and Odei Onaindia all set to play a role in this competition.
Laxmikant Kattimani misses out, nursing his injury but Hyderabad has enough quality to put on a strong performance against The Reds in this tie.
The game kicks off at 5:00 pm IST and will be telecasted live on Sony Sports 2 with live streaming on Fancode.