Kalinga Super Cup 2025: Chennaiyin Unveils Strong Roster for Opener Against MCFC
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Synopsis
Chennaiyin FC is geared up to commence their Kalinga Super Cup 2025 campaign with a Round-of-16 match against Mumbai City FC at Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneswar. The winner will secure a spot in the 2025-26 AFC Champions League Qualifying Play-off.
Key Takeaways
- Chennaiyin FC to face Mumbai City FC in Kalinga Super Cup opener.
- Owen Coyle has named a formidable squad.
- Connor Shields leads the attack alongside other key players.
- Chennaiyin comes off a strong victory against Jamshedpur FC.
- The match winner will advance to the quarterfinals.
Chennai, April 22 (NationPress) A determined Chennaiyin FC will kick off their Kalinga Super Cup 2025 journey with a Round-of-16 clash against Mumbai City FC, an Indian Super League (ISL) team, at the Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneswar on Wednesday. The tournament winner will secure a berth in the 2025-26 AFC Champions League Two, Qualifying Play-off.
Head coach Owen Coyle has assembled a formidable squad for the Kalinga Super Cup, featuring notable players like Connor Shields, along with standout Indian talents Irfan Yadwad and Jiteshwor Singh, among others.
Wilmar Jordan Gil and Daniel Chima Chukwu spearhead the attack, with Gil aiming to become the outright top-scorer of the Super Cup. With a total of eight goals across various editions, Jordan, the leading cup scorer in 2023, is just one goal behind Sunil Chhetri in the all-time standings.
Chennaiyin enters this tournament following a convincing 5-2 victory over Jamshedpur FC in their last league match in March. Riding that momentum, the Marina Machans dedicated three weeks to local training and played a friendly against East Bengal FC in Kolkata to prepare for the Super Cup.
“We’re fully aware of the challenge ahead–Mumbai City is an exceptional side, boasting remarkable players, both foreign and domestic. However, we’re eager for the matchup; we’ve demonstrated that when we perform at our peak, we can compete with the best,” stated Coyle during his pre-match press conference.
“The Super Cup presents a fantastic opportunity for all because there is an AFC spot on the line. There’s a significant incentive to strive for victory and win the cup,” he added.
Chennaiyin and Mumbai City have a shared history in this competition. The teams have clashed three times in the Super Cup, with Chennaiyin emerging victorious once, at this very stage in 2019, a result that ignited their journey to the final. This historical backdrop adds a layer of excitement to Wednesday’s match, with the winner set to face either Bengaluru FC or Inter Kashi in the quarterfinals.
Also present at the press conference was Shields, who led the playmaking statistics in ISL 2024-25 with eight assists and tallied the most chances created in the league (76) over 21 matches.
Ahead of the match, Shields expressed, “We’re excited about the upcoming game. Our finish in the ISL was disappointing, but we’ve been back to training for three weeks, and everyone is primed and ready.”
Before the tie, Coyle confirmed that there are no new injury issues, except for Laldinliana Renthlei, who is recuperating from a long-term injury and will therefore miss the squad. A final training session is planned before matchday.
Chennaiyin FC’s Full Squad for Kalinga Super Cup 2025:
Goalkeepers: Mohammad Nawaz, Samik Mitra, Malhar Umesh Mohol
Defenders: Ryan Edwards, PC Laldinpuia, Vignesh Dakshinamurthy, Ankit Mukherjee, Mandar Rao Dessai, Pritam Kotal, Edwin Sydney Vanspaul
Midfielders: Jitendra Singh, Lalrinliana Hnamte, Jiteshwor Singh, Elsinho Dias, Lukas Brambilla, Farukh Choudhary, Maheson Singh
Forwards: Connor Shields, Vincy Barretto, Kiyan Nassiri, Wilmar Jordan Gil, Gurkirat Singh, Irfan Yadwad, Daniel Chima Chukwu
