East Bengal Football Club did not have a great start to this year’s Super Cup. In their very first group-stage match, they were held to a draw by a comparatively weaker Dempo Sports Club. Sameer Naik’s boys put up an exceptional fight against the Red and Golds, surprising everyone. Because of that early setback, the Kolkata giants fell slightly behind in the group standings. However, after defeating Clifford Miranda’s Chennaiyin FC by a big margin in the second match, the Torch Brigade revived their chances of qualifying for the knockouts. In the final group game, they had to face their arch-rivals, Mohun Bagan Super Giant.
Although that match ended in a draw after full time, East Bengal advanced to the semifinals thanks to goal difference. Naturally, supporters were quite pleased. After a long break, the semifinals are finally scheduled to be held tomorrow, where Oscar Bruzón’s side will face Panagiotis Dilmpeleris’ Punjab FC. Punjab had already stunned a strong team like Bengaluru FC earlier to secure their semifinal berth, so everyone knows this will be no easy contest.
That is why players like Miguel Figuera and Anwar Ali had begun intense training weeks in advance. But just a few days before the semifinal, worrying news emerged—reliable defender Joy Gupta picked up an injury during practice. He was seen mostly on the sidelines afterward. Oscar is fully aware of how much Joy’s absence in such a crucial match could benefit the opposition, so he had already begun preparing alternative plans.
According to various reports, if Joy Gupta is unable to play this match, Oscar Bruzón may turn to another Indian defender, Lalchungnunga, as his replacement. Additionally, Bengali footballer Prabhat Lakra is also being considered as an option. However, in Wednesday’s training session ahead of the semifinal, Joy Gupta looked quite lively. If everything goes well, East Bengal’s head coach might go ahead with his original plan and include him in the starting lineup.