We are almost there to witness our favorite clubs return to action following a three-month hiatus as the Indian football season is set to kick off. First up is India’s oldest and most renowned tournament, the Durand Cup. The tournament’s 133rd edition will get underway on July 27 when Downtown Heroes FC and the reigning champions Mohun Bagan SG will square off. As the competition draws nearer, let’s take a closer look at Group D, which will kick off their campaign on July 28 when Jamshedpur FC takes on Assam Rifles FT.
Jamshedpur FC
Let’s begin with Jamshedpur FC, the home team. All of the group’s games will be held at the JRD Tata Sports Complex. The Red Miners, a team that typically fields their reserve squad, are anticipated to field their senior squad in this edition of the Durand Cup. Khalid Jamil, who was an interim coach at Jamshedpur FC last season, has been named the team’s permanent coach. His outstanding performance in the second half of the previous season earned him the title of AIFF Men’s Indian Coach of the Year 2023–2024.
Only Rei Tachikawa and Siverio are still with the team for the upcoming season after a number of changes were made in their overseas department. With the addition of Nigerian defender Stephen Eze and Australian striker Jordan Murray, they have welcomed back some well-known players to the team. The former Bengaluru FC midfielder, Javi Hernandez, has also joined the Red Miners. They have also added some significant Indian players to their roster, including Mobashir Rahman, Sreekuttan V.S., Albino Gomes, and Nischal Chandan. Additionally, the contracts of Nikhil Barla, Len Doungel, and Pronay Halder have been extended.
With two army teams in their group, Jamshedpur FC should have little trouble advancing beyond the group stage and into the knockout stages. Khalid Jamil demonstrated his team’s ability to compete well in a cup tournament last season when, despite not being the favorites to get out of their group, they made it to the Super Cup semifinals. Prior to entering the Indian Super League, Khalid Jamil will be looking to start the season on a positive note by qualifying for the playoffs and finding the ideal balance.
Army Red FT
Continuing the history of Army teams competing in this esteemed competition, the Indian Army Football team will be one of the teams in this group. They most recently won the CFL in 2022, and they also won the Durand Cup in 2005. Prior to being eliminated by Northeast United FC in the quarterfinals of the previous tournament, they had accumulated seven points from three games and emerged as their group’s best team. They demonstrated their ability by holding Chennaiyin FC’s senior team to a 2-2 tie in the competition’s 2022 edition.
As of right now in the 2024 CFL, they are ranked 11th in their group and have only won one of their six matches. They recently played and won a friendly against East Bengal FC as part of their preparations for the Durand Cup. East Bengal played more than an hour of the game with their first team, therefore this victory would provide them a huge boost for the Durand Cup. Although the team’s chances of making it to the knockout stages are slim, in a competition of this kind, one should never undervalue any team.
Chennaiyin FC
The quarterfinalists from the previous two seasons, Chennaiyin FC, can also feel quite confident about the group because, at least on paper, they are among the favorites to advance to the playoffs. Despite fielding their senior squad in the previous two editions, they have chosen to field a combination of players from the youth team and a few members of the first team this time around. Owen Coyle will not be coaching the Marina Machans; instead, Noel Wilson, the team’s new assistant coach, will take over. Wilson said, “Coyle does not want the main team to play in the Durand Cup as there are chances of players getting injured.” in reference to the decision to not field the senior side.
The five first-team players that will be in the squad are Samik Mitra, Bikash Yumnam, Vincy Barretto, Alexander Romario Jesuraj, and Irfan Yadwad. Samik, who just inked a three-year contract extension with the team, will be looking to impress the coaching staff and provide a convincing justification to take over the void left by Debjit Majumder. In order to prepare himself the best he can for the upcoming campaign, Irfan Yadwad will be looking to accumulate more minutes. Daniyal and Solaimalai in the midfield, and Saivish Singh, who is now on trial with the club, are further players to keep an eye on.
It appears that Komal Thatal, the former Indian U-17 star, may play in the Durand Cup as well because he was spotted with the Chennaiyin FC team. The outcome of their encounter with Jamshedpur FC will be crucial in determining the group rankings. Regardless of the outcome of that contest, they should easily advance to the knockout stages by winning the remaining games.
Assam Rifles FT
Assam Rifles FT, the last team in the group, was added to replace Bangladesh Army FT, who had withdrew from the competition in the last moment. The Assam team’s last appearance in the Durand Cup was in 2021, when they failed to score a single point and finished last in their group. Despite having very little time to prepare for the upcoming campaign, they will be expecting to put up a strong fight this time around and gain some positive results against other clubs in the group.
IFTWC’S Predictions
It would be quite difficult to decide which of Chennaiyin FC and Jamshedpur FC will win the group, but it is nearly a given that both teams will advance to the knockout stages. We believe Chennaiyin FC will finish as the runner-up, while Jamshedpur FC will emerge victorious from the group and qualify for the knockout stages.
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