FC Goa, East Bengal face stern tests in final league matches

KOLKATA: Kolkata giants East Bengal will eye a spot in the knockout stage with a win against Punjab FC while FC Goa (FCG) play their final Group D game against Downtown Heroes as the 132nd Durand Cup resumes business with a double-header after the Independence Day break.

The two final round-robin fixtures in the preliminary round will be stern tests for Emami East Bengal, who will play Punjab FC in a must-win match in Group A at the Kishore Bharati Krirangan (KBK) in Kolkata, and FC Goa, who will face Kashmir's Downtown Heroes in Guwahati’s Indira Gandhi Athletic Stadium (IGAS).

Gaurs look to end on a “strong note”

The Manolo Marquez-trained FC Goa are in an unenviable position after dropping points in their previous game against NorthEast United FC (NEUFC) as qualification is no longer in their hands. They first, however, need to win against Downtown Heroes on Wednesday and win big.

That they will come out all guns blazing was clear when key attacking winger Udanta Singh said, a day ahead of the game, that it was a must-win game for them and they will go for three points.

“Not getting the three points against NorthEast United means that tomorrow's game against Downtown Heroes becomes a must-win affair. We are, however, confident that we can do that. We want to win the title, not just qualify for the knockouts, and we want to show this intent when we take to the pitch tomorrow."

“The weather is quite hot here, which makes training and playing tough. But as professional footballers, we cannot use that as an excuse for not giving our 100%. We've been training every day and we look forward to ending our group stage campaign tomorrow on a strong note," he added.

That “strong note” will not be good news for Downtown Heroes given the Gaurs put six past Shillong Lajong, against whom the side from Kashmir went down 1-2, despite Shillong having been reduced to 10-men for most periods of the game. To stay alive in the tournament, nothing short of a win will help the Heroes and it looks like a big mountain to climb against a side like FC Goa.

Group A toppers to be decided

Emami East Bengal, if they can put it across Punjab FC in the final Group A game on Wednesday, will qualify as group toppers. Any other result would mean arch-rivals Mohun Bagan Super Giant qualify.

Spanish coach Carles Cuadrat, architect of the famous win against Mohun Bagan Super Giant last Saturday, was upbeat in his comments ahead of the important game.

“Now as we prepare for our last group stage match against Punjab FC. It's an important match for us and our target is to reach the quarter-finals of the Durand Cup. I request all our passionate supporters to fill the Kishore Bharati Krirangan. See you all on Wednesday. And Joy East Bengal,” he said.

Punjab’s Greek manager Staikos Vergatis, on the other hand, sounded aware that they were about to face a confident home side with momentum in their favour.

He said in the pre-match chat, “We are facing one of the biggest clubs in India and we recognize the difficulties of the game. East Bengal have a squad full of quality players and are coming after a massive victory against Mohun Bagan, so, they are definitely in good morale.

"From our side, we are taking the game very seriously irrespective of the outcome. We have analyzed the opponent and are entirely focused on the game to present a good challenge to East Bengal,” he said.

Even a win will not help Punjab qualify as they currently have only one point from their two games and have not scored in the tournament so far. But the first promoted Indian Super League (ISL) side are definitely capable of giving a good challenge with a balanced team and it remains to be seen how they perform in front of a raucous home crowd.