Jamil looks to ruin Marquez's farewell script

Bhubaneswar: It's the last mile of the season and two of the teams remaining out of 15 will battle it out for the Kalinga Super Cup here on Saturday.

While Jamshedpur FC will be eager to script their first Super Cup title, FC Goa will play their hearts out to claim their second trophy of the tournament and give their outgoing coach Manolo Marquez a fitting farewell.

But along with the title, a victory in the final at Kalinga Stadium will earn the winners a ticket to the AFC Champions League 2 Preliminary Round.

The Gaurs have already had a taste of continental football at the 2021 AFC Champions League. But it's uncharted territory for the Red Miners. "For us, it's very important because it would be the first time that we qualify for an Asian competition, so we'll try to give our best," JFC head coach Khalid Jamil said at the pre-match press conference on Friday.

But having lost out on their trophy hopes in the ISL semifinal, Goa will leave no stone unturned in their quest for the continental pass.

"When you have this opportunity (to qualify for Asia), obviously you have to be very motivated. FC Goa already played in the Champions League four years ago. Jamshedpur never did. But both teams would want to make it to this competition," were Marquez's words at the pre-match interaction.

While Goa have a better head-to-head statistic over Jamshedpur overall, Jamil's men have done a double on them this ISL season and will be keen for a treble against their rivals on Saturday.

Both coaches, however, refused to dwell on the past.

"Every game is different. We can say that we finished second and Jamshedpur finished 10 points below us, but we lost both games against them. They were much better in Jamshedpur. In Goa, maybe in the first half we were better and they were better in the second. But now, it's a final, and I think it's not important what happened in the past," added Marquez.

The Spaniard's words were echoed by his Indian counterpart at the joint media interaction when he too termed the final "a totally different game".

And to claim the honours on the day, Jamshedpur will bank on their defensive unit — led by Stephen Eze and comprising a mix of youth and experience in Ashutosh Mehta, Pronay Halder and Mohd Uvais — that stood strong against Mumbai City FC in their 1-0 semifinal win.

Rei Tachikawa, who scored the winner, will also have to play a pivotal role in midfield along with skipper Javier Hernandez, while the scoring prowess of Jordan Murray and Javier Siverio will be crucial to earn Jamshedpur their first trophy.

On the other hand, Goa's semifinal star Borja Herrera will need to keep up his season's form along with ISL's Emerging Player of the Season, Brison Fernandes, and hat-trick scorer in the last 16, Iker Guarrotxena, in their bid to break the Red Miners' defence.

Skipper Odei Onaindia and veteran Sandesh Jhingan, meanwhile, will be crucial in holding the Gaurs' fort against the striking threats from Jamshedpur.

"Fifteen teams tried to win the tournament. We knew that we had to win four games and, thanks to the team, we won three. There are no easy games here. So let's see what happens," was Marquez's assessment of the summit clash.

But whoever wins, with both coaches having full squads at their disposal, it's expected to be a thrilling finale to the Indian domestic season.