There is great excitement among ‘Amago Fans’ for East Bengal’s first match in the 132nd Durand Cup, where they will face the Bangladesh Army Football Team, at Yuba Bharati Krirangan, Salt Lake, on Sunday at 4:45pm.
In their opening game of the tournament, Mohun Bagan Super Giants, the other half of Kolkata’s great football divide, had thrashed Bangladesh Army 5-0. In the pre-match press conference, Lt. Col. Jamshed, the Bangladesh Army’s team manager, acknowledged their previous performance and expressed their commitment to address the team’s weaknesses. They have been working hard on improving those areas, and were hopeful of playing better and more positively in the match against East Bengal FC. “We are working hard on those drawbacks and shortcomings of the team,” he said. “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.”
For the red-and-gold fans, the past few seasons have given them little to cherish, but the team comes into the Durand Cup with significant changes compared to the previous edition. They now have Carles Cuadrat, the Spaniard who won the ISL title with Bengaluru FC, as their head coach and will hope for a quick upswing in their fortunes.
The squad is a mix and match of young talented players like Prabhsukhan Gill, Nishu Kumar, Naorem Mahesh Singh, along with the experience of Harmanjot Khabra, Mandar Rao Dessai, Suhair, and Brazilian Cleiton Silva, which makes their squad well-rounded. Special eyes will be on Naorem Mahesh, as he has been selected in the Asian Games squad, and the young forward from Manipur will be eager to do justice to Igor Stimac’s choice.
Cuadrat expressed his eagerness to participate in the historic tournament and was eager to make an immediate impact. “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,” he said at the pre-match press conference. “We are trying to make a plan and win as much as possible to make it competitive.”
East Bengal need to start well, especially with the Kolkata derby approaching on August 12. For Bangladesh Army, this match is crucial for their tournament prospects, and it should be an exciting and goal-filled game.