132nd Durand Cup: Hyderabad FC meet Delhi FC; East Bengal face Bangladesh Army in double-headers

Kolkata/Guwahati: The 2021-22 Indian Super League (ISL) champions Hyderabad FC take on debutants Delhi FC, who have been newly promoted to I-League Second Division, in the 132nd Durand Cup at Guwahati’s Indira Gandhi Athletic Stadium, on Sunday.

Double headers will continue in the 132nd Durand Cup on the first Sunday of the tournament as local giants East Bengal FC open their campaign against the Bangladesh Army Football Team (BAFT) in the second match of the day, at Kolkata’s Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan (VYBK).

The day will see two matches that would seemingly be comfortable outings for the fancied teams involved.

Even though Hyderabad FC go into Sunday’s first match of the day after just four training sessions at home, with a new-look squad and a new first-team coach in Conor Nestor as well.

However, they still possess enough quality to put it across Delhi FC. The team from the capital though has been on a good run, winning the third-division league and have assembled a squad of players who have enough experience of the Indian national circuit.

Speaking ahead of the game, the 39-year-old Irishman Conor Nestor said, “The training sessions have been good. Some have played a lot and are well-known and some haven’t played much, but I can see the potential. It’s very much a new chapter in a new direction for us. No coach wants to see massive changes and ideally, the changes won’t be as dramatic as they are.”

Those changes probably point to the new signings they have this season like Aaryan Saroha, Jonathan Moya, Joe Knowles, Petteri Pennanen, Vignesh and Makan Chote among others. Among those who have “played a lot” will be their pillar in midfield Brazilian Joao Victor.

Delhi FC have a side with enough pluck with the likes of Vinil Poojary, Himanshu Jangra, Girik Khosla and Bali Gagandeep also bringing in a lot of experience. If Hyderabad fail to get their combination right, given it’s the first game of the season, Delhi might even pull off a surprise.

Bangladesh Army looks to come back

Fans will be waiting with a lot of anticipation for East Bengal’s first game in the 132nd Durand Cup, against a Bangladesh Army Football Team (BAFT) that was simply overwhelmed by Mohun Bagan Super Giant in the tournament opener earlier on Thursday.

Team Manager Lt. Col. Jamshed accepted the same and said in response to a question on Sunday’s game, “Yes, after the first game we are trying to work on the drawbacks. We are working hard on those drawbacks and shortcomings of the team. We practiced hard on those in the last two days, and we hope to play better and more positive football and will be able to stand stronger in the next game, Inshallah.”

Emami East Bengal go into the Durand Cup with a totally new getup as well when compared to the previous edition. They have experienced Spanish head coach Carles Cuadrat at the helm, to begin with.

They have also roped in the much more assured Prabhsukhan Gill in goal from the Kerala Blasters and their defense looks more settled with experienced heads like Harmanjot Khabra, Nishu Kumar and Mandar Rao Dessai now in their ranks. Up ahead they have the mercurial duo of Suhair and Naorem Mahesh Singh who can turn any game on its head and the experience of Brazilian Clayton Silva to complete a much more rounded side.

“We are ready to participate in the tournament and I really want to know about this tournament because it’s a historical tournament and I am really excited to be a part of it. We are trying to make a plan and win as much as possible to make it competitive,” said an excited Carles Cuadrat in a pre-match chat.

Nothing less than a good win will satisfy home fans ahead of the Kolkata derby on August 12 and for Bangladesh, it will be a do-or-die game vis a vis the tournament. Goals and more than one of them can definitely be expected from the game.

–IANS