Super Cup: Salgaocar look to add to their trophies

Salgaocar SC are on a role, though they did lose to Prayag United SC last week in the Durand Cup group stage, then the I-League champions added the Federation Cup title to their kitty last month. Now they face the former Fed Cup champions and I-League runners-up East Bengal Club in the Super Cup tomorrow.

For the Goans it will be the aim to retain their supremacy against their Kolkata rivals, whom they had beaten 3-1 in the 2011 Fed Cup final and earn the Rs 1 Million (10 lakhs) in prize money; while for both sides the Super Cup is the perfect dress rehearsal for the I-League which is set to kick-off over the upcoming weekend.

Salgaocar are on a high at the moment, but Coach Karim Bencharifa prefers to play it safe. "It's true we defeated them in the I-League and the Fed Cup, and the level of competition is very high between us. But there's no place for complacency and we are not taking anything for granted as they are a very strong team," Karim added.

East Bengal's strike force which comprises of Tolgay Ozbey and Alan Gow will stay a menace for most teams. But Bencharifa feels it best to concentrate on his team's strength. "It's our principle that we focus on our strength rather than focusing on the strength of our rival team. We need to find out our weak links and plug the holes," he maintained.

"Luckily, we don't have any injury woes confronting us," Karim finished.

East Bengal Club, who saw their Federation Cup dreams smashed by Salgaocar that too on their home turf will look to regain the momentum ahead of the I-League, something which Salgaocar will surely be wary of.

None can deny the presence of match-winners in the East Bengal side -- Robin Singh, Sanju Pradhan, Reisangmi Vashum and the foreign recruits - Australian Tolgay Ozbey and Scotsman Alan Gow -- are capable of settling the issue on their own. Despite Bencherifa dismissing them, Gow and Tolgay are East Bengal coach Trevor Morgan's best bet.

The red-and-gold stay a bit jittery for the tie – after all they have travelled a lot in the last few days after their return from a tournament in Vietnam. Trevor Morgan hopes the boys recover in time for the Super Cup.

The kick-off is slated for 19.00 IST and there will be live telecast from the game.