The reigning Indian Super League champion Mohun Bagan Super Giant will likely be open the oldest membership soccer event of the continent when it takes on the Bangladesh Army within the 132nd version of Durand Cup on the Salt Lake Stadium on Thursday.
The 135-year-old defence services-organised event has reclaimed its glory after being reinstated because the season opener of the Indian soccer calendar.
Twenty-four groups, together with two international groups, will likely be taking part in the preliminary group league stage which will likely be performed throughout 4 venues in West Bengal and Assam.
Kolkata will likely be internet hosting teams A, B and C, whereas majority of the group D and E matches will likely be hosted by Guwahati’s Indira Gandhi Athletic Stadium.
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Kokrajhar, added because the host metropolis this season, will likely be internet hosting all matches of group F together with a bunch D and E recreation every.
Guwahati and Kokrajhar will even host one quarter-final recreation whereas the remainder of the knockout fixtures will likely be held in Kolkata. The semifinals and the ultimate will likely be held in Kolkata with the title conflict scheduled on September 3.
The record of contributors is spectacular with all of the ISL groups and a collection of the I-League groups, together with the champion Roundglass, Punjab FC, Gokulam Kerala becoming a member of 4 Services groups and two international invitees – the Bangladesh and Nepal Army sides. Not all of the ISL outfits are anticipated to area their full-strength roster as they give the impression of being to check their home recruits to organize for a protracted season forward.
The first match of group A will revive the cross-border rivalry seeing Mohun Bagan, taking up the Bangladesh Army outfit. The visiting aspect has a staff spun out of a collection of gamers primarily from the Dhaka Mohammedan Sporting Club, which received the native Federation Cup final season.
Mohun Bagan will likely be beginning off with an assortment of names picked up from the senior and the youth groups. The senior staff, which started pre-season coaching beneath its Spanish head coach Juan Ferrando, will likely be contributing much less to the record initially because the aspect seems to protect the perfect for the opening AFC Cup preliminary spherical match on August 16.
Given the scenario, the youth staff coach Bastab Roy will shepherd the aspect within the early phases of the event. With conventional rival East Bengal and Roundglass Punjab FC finishing the group A line-up, the competitors is anticipated to be of the best order. The higlight match of the group will certainly be the season’s first Kolkata derby, which is scheduled on August 12.
The first match will likely be preceded by a short opening ceremony the place the Chief Minister of West Bengal, Mamata Banerjee, would be the chief visitor.
