Durand Cup 2023: Mohun Bagan aim three points against Punjab FC

Mohun Bagan thrashed Bangladesh Army 5-0 in the Durand Cup 2023 opener.

More teams are set to get a slice of 132nd IndianOil Durand Cup action come Monday, as Indian Super League (ISL) side and reigning Hero Super Cup champions Odisha FC lock horns with the Indian Army Football Team at the SAI stadium in Kokrajhar, even as the first-ever promoted ISL side Punjab FC take on the might of Mohun Bagan Super Giant in Kolkata’s Kishore Bharati Krirangan (KBK).

The Group F game in Kokrajhar kicks-off at 3.00pm Indian Standard Time (IST) while the second Group A game in Kolkata has a 6.00pm scheduled kick-off.

Mohun Bagan v Punjab FC: Former aim comfort ahead of Kolkata derby 

There are enough names in the 26-member Punjab FC squad headed by Greek coach Staikos Vergetis, who can ruffle the feathers of Mohun Bagan, who in turn were not quite challenged in their first game against the Bangladesh Army Football team. 

Upfront they have a goal machine in Luka Majcen, the Slovenian poacher who has over 50 goals in his four-season India stint across clubs so far. Other names like Leon Augustine, Amarjit Kiyam and Nepalese Kiran Limbu in goal, have been proven performers.

Luka, who is also captaining the side seemed aware of his side’s strengths when he said ahead of the game, “We are looking forward for the game tomorrow. We have a balanced team of players from the last season as well as quite a few exciting new players. We know we are playing against a big club and though we respect our opponent we will go strong with our plans. It is pretty early in the season, so we’d want to see where we stand and evaluate the things, we need to improve for the long season ahead.”

“Our plan is to present one team with a lot of defensive cohesion, a team that will be compact to avoid any possible chances from the opponent. At the same time, we are working on our offensive transitions to have a competitive game against a very strong side in Mohun Bagan,” said coach Vergetis, giving an insight into the thinking in the squad.

Mohun Bagan on the other hand have been playing pleasing football across the sides they have been fielding in multiple tournaments that they are engaged in currently and their young talent is enviable. The performance, with only three first-team players upfront in the first game of this tournament, was nothing short of champagne and clinical. They would also look to be comfortably placed on the table ahead of their Kolkata derby game up next in the tournament.

Under the circumstances, it would boil down to belief and that Punjab have shown in abundance during their winning I-League campaign. A competitive game of football is in the offing.

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