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Delhi FC set for Durand debut against Hyderabad FC, Emami East Bengal up against Bangladesh Army
Kolkata/Guwahati, August 05, 2022:
Double-headers continue in the 132nd IndianOil Durand Cup as the first Sunday of the tournament brings two matches that would seemingly be comfortable outings for the fancied teams involved. In the first game at Guwahati’s Indira Gandhi Athletic Stadium, Delhi FC, newly promoted to the second division I-League, make their IndianOil Durand Cup debut against 2021-22 Indian Super League (ISL) champions Hyderabad FC, while in the second local giants, Emami East Bengal takes the field for the first time in the tournament, against the Bangladesh Army Football Team (BAFT) at Kolkata’s Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan (VYBK).
The Group E game in Guwahati is scheduled for an afternoon 2.30 pm kick-off while the Group A game in Kolkata kicks-off at 4.45 pm Indian Standard Time (IST)
The Nizams take on the pluck of Delhi FC
Even though Hyderabad FC go into Sunday’s game 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 has 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 does not manage 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 comeback against Emami East Bengal
There is a lot of anticipation among fans locally around Emami East Bengal’s first game in the 132nd IndianOil Durand Cup, against a Bangladesh Army Football Team (BAFT), who were 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 IndianOil 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.
Ticket Information in detail
India’s leading entertainment destination BookMyShow has been roped in as an exclusive ticketing partner for the 132nd IndianOil Durand Cup. Fans can book their tickets for all knockout matches of the tournament exclusively on www.bookmyshow.com.
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