Teams are the lonely Asian slot as East Bengals against Kerala Blasters in the Super Cup opener.

Bhubaneswar, April 19 (PTI) defending champions East Bengal against Kerala Blasters FC in the opening match of the Kalinga Super Cup here on Sunday, with 15 teams fighting for the trophy and a lonely lock available for next season’s AFC Champions League 2. Unlike the last two years, the season will be played in a group. And 2019, which means that every game is a do-of-death relationship. Last year, East Bengal FC cracked the silverware and defeated Odisha FC 3-2 after an exciting period of extra time in the final. The Red and Golden Brigade ended their 12-year-old waiting for a national trophy and wants to defend their crown on the same field. Eastern Bengal is not strangers to defend cup titles after winning back-to-back federation mugs in 2009-10 and 2010, while Kerala Blasters are looking for their first trophy at national level. Both sides had underscoring Indian Super League campaigns, which finished in ninth and eighth place respectively, and this tournament offers them a shot on Glory. The winner of this collision will face Mohun Bagan Super Giant, who received a bee following the withdrawal of the I-League Churchill Brothers, in the first quarterfinals on April 26. On April 21, another ISL team FC Goa, Champions of 2019, will take Gokulam Kerala FC in an interlega performance. The Gaurs could not get past the group stage in the last two issues and would be eager to not only win the trophy again, but also a return to the continental stage for the second time to the 2021 AFC Champions League. Gokulam Kerala also looks at a second Asian campaign at the AFC 2022, but the Malabarians have never gone past the round of 16 of the calinga Super Cup. They ended in the last two tournaments without a win, including a 0-1 loss against Goa in the group stage of 2023. Later Monday, host Odisha FC will face Punjab FC. Since making their Super Cup debut in 2023, the Juggernauts has been the team that beat the competition. Champions in 2023 and the runner -up in 2024 was the Super Cup their favorite tournament. It also opened their doors to a Maiden AFC Cup appearance in 2023-24. Punjab FC also debuted in 2023, but has never come past the group stage and only won one of their six matches in the two seasons. Bengaluru FC and Inter Kashi meet for the third time in two seasons on April 23. They drew 1-1 in the Kalinga Super Cup Group stage in 2024, before the Blues were 3-0 winners in the Durand Cup Group stage in August last year. The hurt of the loss of the ISL final is still fresh for Bengaluru FC. But it will only contribute to the hunger of the first winners of the Super Cup in 2018, because they want to become the first club to win the tournament twice, and also end their four -year absence of Asian competitions. Inter Kashi made their Super Cup debut last year and came through the qualifying round, but ended the group stage without a win. On Wednesday, Mumbai City FC and Chennaiyin FC will face the Super Cup for the fourth time, making it the most played match in the short history of the tournament. The islanders won 1-0 in each of the last two seasons of group stage, while the Marina Machans was 2-0 victors in the round of 16 in 2019. Mumbai City has an unbeaten streak of 13 games across all competitions against Chennaiyin, who has not had a win since February 20, 2023 and 2023, and Chennaiyin FC in the 2019 AFC. It was already a historic season for the Highlanders, who won their first silverware in the form of the Durand Cup last August and came to the Indian Super League playoffs. Mohammedan, on the other hand, will hope to find some joy in the tournament after a disappointing debut ISL campaign concluded with just two wins. The round of 16 concludes on Thursday with a collision between Jamshedpur FC and Hyderabad FC. The quarterfinals will take place on April 26 and 27, the semi -finals on April 30, and the final on May 3. First Published: 19 Apr 2025, 04:07 IST