Mumbai City FC head into their first Kalinga Super Cup match of the season, preparing to take on Chennaiyin FC in a Round of 16 clash at the Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneshwar on Wednesday, April 23. Ahead of this crucial encounter, MCFC head coach Petr Kratky and midfielder Brandon Fernandes shared their excitement at the pre-match press conference.
After an ordinary season in the Indian Super League (ISL), the Islanders will be eager to make a statement in this knockout tournament. Highlighting the importance of the tournament, Mumbai City FC head coach Petr Kratky shared, “The Kalinga Cup is very important, especially when there is an AFC spot in it. So, we are there to compete. We are there to do our best. I'm excited to give the opportunity to other players who didn’t get much of a chance during the ISL. So again, it's an exciting time for me as a coach, to see the other players get the opportunity in 90 minutes.”
Petr Kratky also expressed his excitement for the players in his squad getting some minutes under their belt. “It's an opportunity for Indian players and the other players to get some minutes now. Sometimes you have to wait for your opportunity, which has now come for other players, and they just have to show why they are here, because they have quality.”
“So, I believe we can challenge for the cup. All we need to do is work hard, put our hearts on the sleeve, and fight for every goal. If we work hard, I believe in this sport, we can go far”, Kratky added.
Reflecting on the ISL campaign and the learnings from the season, midfielder Brandon Fernandes elaborated, “We are obviously not very happy with how we ended our ISL campaign. It was a big learning for us and as a team, we had to get together and work towards the Super Cup. It's something that we want to achieve to end the season well.”
Looking forward to their opening game in the knockout tournament, the head coach stated, “Preparation is good. We have a couple of weeks of very good training sessions. The team has worked very hard to prepare for the tournament. The boys are ready to step up and I'm looking forward to the game.”
Further emphasizing the importance of the Kalinga Super Cup for the team, Brandon Fernandes added, “All the players have put in a lot of work in the last few weeks. We know this tournament is important for us and obviously we want to finish on a good note to end the season. Going forward into this tournament, we are positive, and we want to do everything and deliver on the pitch and try to win the tournament.”
The 15-team football tournament will be played in a knock-out format, featuring 13 clubs from the top-tier Indian Super League (ISL) and two from the second tier I-League. Live streaming of the Kalinga Super Cup 2025 will be available on Star Sports 3 and Star Sports 3 HD TV channels and JioHotstar.
