The Indian Club Football season is finally back with the ever-prestigious Indian Oil Durand Cup kicking it off, what is expected to be one of the most intense and exciting seasons the fans in India have seen in many years. The 133rd edition of the oldest football tournament in Asia will commence on July 27, with the reigning champions Mohun Bagan SG starting their title defence against the proud youth of Downtown Heroes FC at the Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan in Kolkata.
All 24 teams compete in six groups of four, with 43 matches in total in a round-robin league structure followed by knockout games. The matches will be hosted in four cities: Kolkata, Kokrajhar, Shillong, and Jamshedpur. This year, the tournament will feature teams from the Indian Super League, I-League, and armed forces teams from India, Nepal, and Bangladesh.
Group A consists of the Reigning Durand Cup Champions Mohun Bagan SG who will be looking to maintain their record of being the most successful club in the history of this prestigious tournament. They will be joined by their neighbours and bitter rivals, East Bengal FC, as fans all over the country look forward to their epic clash in the group stage itself. The Kolkata giants will be joined by Downtown Heroes FC and the Indian Air Force Football Team. All matches of this group will be played at the Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan in Kolkata.
Here is a preview of the Teams in Group A:
Mohun Bagan SG:
The Mariners would be feeling very confident going into the Durand Cup and should be the favourites to not just win their group, but also to defend their title and clinch astaggering 18th Durand Cup. Bagan has had some major changes in the team, with the Spanish coach Jose Franciso Molina starting a new era as their new manager, replacing Antonio Habas.
Just like every season, Bagan has been ever-aggressive in the summer transfer window by strengthening the squad significantly. India’s star midfielder, Apuia, joined the Mariners from their title rivals Mumbai City FC in a sensational transfer swoop. A-League’s Record top goalscorer, Jamie Maclaren, signed for the club, which can prove to be a monumental transfer in Indian Football. Mariners also secured the services of one of ISL’s greats – Greg Stewart, as the Scottish maestro makes a stunning return to Indian football.
Along with him, Bagan also bolstered their defence by adding two new foreigners, Tom Aldred and Alberto Rodriguez from top Asian clubs Brisbane Roar and Persib Bandung respectively. On top of this, Bagan’s main man, Dimitri Petratos, who scored the thrilling winner in the last edition’s final against East Bengal, will be looking to do something similar this time around as well.
Even though Jose Molina is expected to arrive in Kolkata and start the full team’s training by July 29, Mohun Bagan will be starting their reserve players along with a few senior team members, who are currently competing in the ongoing Calcutta Football League in the tournament opener against Downtown Heroes on July 27. Post the opener, Molina will get quite a lot of time to prepare his main team for their second fixture against Indian Air Force on August 8 and finally the ‘Boro Match’ against East Bengal on August 18.
East Bengal FC:
After quite a few seasons of having below-average results squads and consequentially poor results, it finally feels like East Bengal is building a team that will be a force to be reckoned with. Under Carles Cuadrat, they reached the Durand Cup final last season and even won the Kalinga Super Cup.
This year, East Bengal has done some brilliant business in the transfer market. The Red and Gold will now have the top goalscorer and the top assist maker from last season’s ISL in the form of Dimitrios Diamantakos and Madih Talal respectively, having secured two of the best players in the league. However, East Bengal’s statement signing this season has to be that of Jeakson Singh, as the Indian Midfielder became the most expensive Indian player in history.
Along with the luxury of having the experienced local veterans Debjit Majumdar and Souvik Chakrabarti, Cuadrat and the Red and Gold Brigade will be most excited by the brilliant form of their young reserves in the ongoing Calcutta Football League. With the likes of Sayan Banerjee, Vishnu PV, Jesin TK and David Lalhlansanga just to name a few, the young guns of East Bengal will be the ones to keep an eye on as they look to match Mohun Bagan’s record of 17 titles under the leadership of their talismanic captain, Cleiton Silva.
Cuadrat’s men will start their Durand Cup campaign on July 29 as they take on Indian Air Force, followed by their clash against Downtown Heroes FC on August 7, before finally facing Bagan in the derby.
Downtown Heroes FC:
Downtown Heroes FC, hailing from Jammu and Kashmir and founded in 2020 with the aim of promoting sports culture and preventing drug addiction amongst the youth in their region, brings a fresh perspective to the competition. Inspired by the philosophy to nurture football talent at the grassroots level and provide high-quality training facilities and coaching to the local youth, the club has taken big steps in youth development in the region of Srinagar.
Having participated in the I-League 2 in the 2022/23 season and also making it to the previous year’s Durand Cup, Downtown Heroes will be counting on their young guns to potentially stun the Kolkata Giants.
Indian Air Force Football Team:
With the tradition of having the participation of the armed services teams in the Durand Cup, the Indian Air Force team should be looking to cause upsets in this group.
The team takes part in the Delhi Premier League, which is Delhi State’s top division and is the most successful team in the league’s history with a record 8 titles.
Under Head Coach Priya Darshan, the Indian Air Force Football Team participated in the Durand Cup in 2023 and even held Chhetri’s Bengaluru FC in a 1-1 draw but this year they have to produce even bigger upsets to have any chance of going into the knockout stages of the tournament.
IFTWC’s Prediction:
Group Winner(s): Mohun Bagan and East Bengal both. The Kolkata Giants should make light work of Downtown Heroes and Indian Air Force, but they could likely share points as they meet for the season’s first derby on the final group matchday, without taking any risks of getting eliminated.
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