Durand Cup 2023: Punjab FC aim resurgence against Bangladesh Army

Punjab FC lost their first Durand Cup 2023 game to Mohun Bagan.

Guwahati’s Indira Gandhi Athletic stadium is set to witness the first of the southern derbies of the 132nd IndianOil Durand Cup, when Hyderabad FC take on Chennaiyin FC on Thursday, August 10, 2023.

Following that, Punjab FC and the Bangladesh Army Football Team go head-to-head at Kolkata’s Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan (VYBK), in search of their first win in the tournament. The Group E game in Guwahati begins at 3.00pm Indian Standard Time (IST) while the Group A battle has an evening kick-off scheduled at 6.00pm IST.

In the second evening game on Thursday, Punjab FC and the Bangladesh Army Football Team (BAFT) go into a battle of survival with both needing to win the game. The BAFT will be playing their third and final group game and have so far drawn one and lost one. Punjab have lost the only game they have played so far.

Given only the group toppers are assured of qualification, even to be in reckoning for the two best second-placed qualifying spots, anything less than a win would see both staring at early exits.

Punjab however will take heart and confidence from their 0-2 loss against Mohun Bagan Super Giant as they did make a great match of it against strong opposition at home. Greek coach Staikos Vergatis reflected that sentiment when he said after the final training session before the game, “After analysing our last match, we saw a lot of positives in our game but we have to avoid individual mistakes in our defensive zone. Keeping this in mind, we are going to our next game and we will try to give opportunities to some other players for them to showcase their skills and get the maximum possible points.”

BAFT would have also earned a measure of confidence from their stunning draw in their previous game against Emami East Bengal after being two down with two minutes left.

It will be a game of confidence one feels and whoever takes the initiative will come up with the result.

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