New Delhi, September 10: The return of Kolkata football clubs East Bengal and Mohun Bagan, after a gap of two years, will hopefully bring crowds back in the Durand Cup as the quarter-final league stage kicks-off Friday here at the Ambedkar Stadium.
The quarter-final league stage will see nine I-League clubs, 2005 champions Army XI, and qualifiers ONGC and Assam Rifles fighting it out for the coveted 122nd Durand Cup.
The spotlight will be on top national players, who scripted a stunning win over higher ranked Syria to retain the Nehru Cup title at the same venue last week.
While national captain Bhaichung Bhutia will be missing in action, due to his ongoing tussle with Mohun Bagan, other players like Mahindra United midfielder Steven Dias, Churchill Brothers’ defender Gourmangi Singh and Dempo striker Sunil Chettri are surely going to add spice to the tournament.
For defending champions Churchill Brothers the tournament will be a good preparation to organise the team before the I-League that starts next month. Churchill Brothers are in the final of the IFA Shield and that prompted the Durand organisers to make a last minute change, shifting the title holders to Group A from D.
The move must been welcomed by the troubled 16-time winners East Bengal, who are in Group D with Mahindra and newly promoted I-League club Lajong FC.
East Bengal had a disastrous IFA Shield where they were shocked by Tata Football Academy (TFA) colts and the knock-out loss at the hands of Chirag United only compounded their miseries.
Needless to say, the Durand Cup will be the best platform for East Bengal to get their act together ahead of the I-League.
For their arch-rivals Mohun Bagan, who have also won the title 16 times, the Durand Cup will be an ideal preparatory ground for the I-League, where they finished runners-up last year.
Groupings:
Group I: Churchill Brothers, Sporting Clube de Goa and Assam Rifles.
Group II: Mohun Bagan, JCT and ONGC.
Group III: Dempo, Air India and Army XI.
Group IV: East Bengal, Mahindra United and Lajong FC.
Fixtures:
Sep 11: Army XI vs Air India;
Sep 12: Sporting Clube de Goa vs. Assam Rifles;
Sep 13: JCT vs ONGC;
Sep 14: Mahindra vs Lajong, Dempo vs Air India;
Sep 15: Sporting Clube vs Churchill;
Sep 16: Mohun Bagan vs ONGC; East Bengal vs Lajong;
Sep 17: Churchill vs Assam Rifles, Dempo vs Army XI;
Sep 18: East Bengal vs Mahindra, Mohun Bagan vs JCT.
Sep 18: Semi-final (Winners Group I vs Winners Group III)
Sep 19: Semi-final (Winners Group II vs Winners Group IV)
Sep 22: Final
—IANS