The title clash of this season’s Hero Super Cup will see two giants of Indian Super League locking horns. Chennaiyin FC, the two-time ISL champion, faces FC Goa, the runner-up on two occasions, in the final at the Kalinga Stadium on Saturday in what promises to be an interesting duel.

The two sides have met on 13 occasions in the previous five seasons and are tied 6-6 in terms of win-loss equation.

There has been a lone occasion of a draw and the Cup final now will be break the deadlock.

Chennaiyin FC coach John Gregory preferred to call his side the underdog considering his team’s mediocre performance in the just-concluded ISL season where FC Goa emerged the runner-up.

Underdogs

“We go into the match as underdogs. We tried many permutations in the ISL but could not recapture the shape we had in the last season.

“In the Super Cup we have beaten two teams that made the semifinals in ISL and are looking to make our way back. Now that we are in the final, there is only one thought — to win it,” Gregory said looking at unbeaten run his team had in the last six matches.

Chennaiyin will be missing Australian midfielder Christopher Herd to suspension but Gregory hoped that others in the side like Anirudh Thapa, Dhanpal Ganseh, C.K. Vineeth, Gregory Nelson and Raphael Augusto will combine well to overcome the former’s absence.

With the versatile Spaniard Edu Bedia rejoining the side from suspension, FC Goa coach Sergio Lobera said his team will be looking keep the momentum and seek its first trophy in five seasons. “We are approaching this final in the same way we approached the last one (ISL) — with a lot of excitement.

“We are doing nothing special. We just want to go there with the right attitude and win.” Lobera said.

Goa’s consistency in the season was borne by the performers like Ferran Corominas, Bedia, Jackichand Singh, Brandon Fernandes and Lenny Rodrigues, who have combined well to make the side one of the best attacking outfits in the season.