Indian Super League (ISL) side Delhi Dynamos lock horns against I-League's Churchill Brothers in the first match of the inaugural Super League qualifier clash on Thursday at the Kalinga Stadium, Bhubaneshwar.
| Game | Delhi Dynamos v Churchill Brothers |
| Date | Thursday, March 15 |
| Time | 5:00 PM IST (GMT +5:30) |
TV CHANNELS & LIVE STREAM
The Star Sports Network have the exclusive broadcasting rights of the Super Cup. The games will be telecast with the option of English and/or Hindi commentary over their bouquet of television as well as digital platforms.
| India (English) TV channel | Online streams |
|---|---|
| Star Sports 2/HD | Hotstar and Jio TV |
TEAM NEWS
Delhi Dynamos:
Injured: Albino Gomes, Joreon Lumu, Manuel Arana
Doubtful: None
Suspended: None
Key Players: Kalu Uche, Lallianzuala Chhangte
Churchill Brothers:
Injured: Wayne Vaz
Doubtful: None
Suspended: None
Key Players: Dawda Ceesay, Monday Osagie.
GAME PREVIEW
Miguel Angel Portugal's Delhi Dynamos who finished eighth in the ISL 2017/18 season take on Churchill Brothers who got relegated from the I-League this season after finishing ninth.
It is an exciting knockout matchup between the two talented yet underperforming sides whose winner will qualify for the main round of the Super Cup. The winner will be facing Kolkata giants Mohun Bagan on April 1 in the round of 16 fixture.
After a very poor start to Delhi's season, Portugal's men came back strongly in the second half of the ISL. They had remained unbeaten in their last six matches which helped climb up the table from rock-bottom to eighth place.
Churchill Brothers too had a terrible season which ended in relegation. It was a roller coaster ride for Alfred Fernandes' men. There were several changes in the squad throughout the season which never allowed the coach to build a settled side and it clearly reflected in their results. They lost their final match to eventual champions Minerva Punjab FC.
The Lions will be missing the services of Manuel Arana and Joreon Lumu due to injuries. In Arana's absence, we can expect Matias Mirabaje to slot into the role of a number 10, just behind striker Kalu Uche.
Uche will be the star attraction in the ISL outfit's starting XI and will be an uphill task for Monday Osagie and Hussein Eldor to stop the Nigerian forward.
All is well in the Churchill camp ahead of their Super Cup campaign. They have only one injury concern - right-back Wayne Vaz. Vaz had also missed the team's final I-League match in Panchkula and Israil Gurung was fielded in his position.
The Goan outfit will be hoping for a new beginning in a new tournament shrugging off all the miseries of getting relegated from I-League. Delhi too will be eyeing a win which will help forget their troubles from an arguably forgettable ISL 4.