Durand Cup 2025 final: Three key battles to watch in NorthEast United vs Diamond Harbour FC

NorthEast United FC are the defending champions of the Durand Cup.

The 2025 Durand Cup is set to be a thrilling one as the defending champions, NorthEast United, face off against the ultimate underdogs, Diamond Harbour, at the Salt Lake Stadium on 23 August 2025. It’ll be a battle pitting an Indian Super League (ISL) and an I-League team against one another, which should make for a very interesting finale.

Both teams have fought their way to the final, with NorthEast United dominating the majority of their games. Diamond Harbour might’ve lost to Mohun Bagan in the group stages, but have rallied back to eliminate Jamshedpur FC before a huge upset over East Bengal in the semifinal. Kibu Vicuna’s side has proven that they can take the fight to any team and will be gunning for their first-ever Durand Cup title at the Salt Lake Stadium.

This should be quite the entertaining contest because of the quality and hard-working players both team possess. However, the match will be decided on the small margins, which involve some key duels on the pitch.

There are certain individuals in both teams who can make the difference to help them lift the trophy, and it’ll be on these player battles to decide which team gets the edge. Here we look at the three key battles to watch in the NorthEast United vs Diamond Harbour FC game.

3. Jobby Justin vs Asheer Akhtar

Jobby Justin broke the East Bengal hearts with an impactful display in the Durand Cup semifinal, scoring a clutch winner for Diamond Harbour FC. The energetic forward apaers to have rediscovered his groove under Kibu Vicuna and is being a tormenting factor in the frontline for his side. Justin will need to be unpredictable and smart with his movement against NorthEast United to really stretch their backline and cause them disruption in the final.

He will need to be clever with his off-the-ball runs to get into all the empty spaces, and also be really accurate with his final third passes to open up opportunities. However, Justin will face a stern foe in former teammate Asheer Akhtar in the opposition backline.

Akhtar has become an important player for the Highlanders over the last season, proving his quality as an aggressive and reliable centre-back. Akhtar will need to read Justin’s movement perfectly to neutralize his threat and not allow him any space to manoeuvre in the box.

That is why Jobby will need to be particularly decisive in losing the defender’s marker and get into more goal-scoring area. This possible cat and mouse chase in and around the NorthEast United box can create an enticing battle that could decide the result.

2. Alaeddine Ajairaie vs Ajith Kumar

Alaeddine Ajairaie is showing zero signs of slowing down for NorthEast United and has had a brilliant start to the 2025-26 season as well. The Moroccan forward is the current top scorer in the 2025 Durand Cup, having scored seven goals in the tournament so far.

He’ll be aiming to seal the Golden Boot and NorthEast United’s second Durand Cup title in style with a clinical performance in the finale. Ajairaie, however, cannot take the Diamond Harbour FC backline for granted at all after having seen them frustrate the East Bengal and Jamshedpur FC frontlines in recent games.

Diamond Harbour defender Ajith Kumar, for one, will face a really stern test in trying to keep Ajairaie quiet in the final. He’s likely to be slotted into the role to mark the Moroccan forward and has to produce his best performance in ages to keep him quiet.

Ajith will need to be extremely agile and proactive to win the key duels and making crucial challenges to frustrate Ajairaie and stop him from getting into the key scoring areas. Ajairaie, however, has proven in the past that he can slip past tight marking easily and will look to use his smart movement to slither into the scoring areas and put his lethal finishing to good use to get his side over the line.

1. Luka Majcen vs Andy Rodriguez

Luka Majcen has been a major driving force for Diamond Harbour FC to help them reach the Durand Cup final for the very first time. He’s scored four goals in the competition so far, producing some efficient performances in the frontline.

Majcen is thriving playing just behind the striker, where he gets utmost influence in dictating his side’s play and making clever runs in behind defenders into goalscoring positions. He will be aiming to reserve his best performance for last against NorthEast United, but can expect a stern battle with NorthEast United’s new boy, Andy Rodriguez.

Rodriguez has had a pretty solid Durand Cup so far, helping his side dominate games and protect his backline pretty well. Rodriguez will be tasked to keep a close mark on Majcen, tracking his movement and dispossess him off the ball in the key areas.

That is why the Diamond Harbour FC star will need to be especially innovative with his output on the pitch, so that he can trick Rodriguez to create chances as well as get at the end of opportunities to amplify his side’s winning chances.

For more updates, follow Khel Now on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Youtube; download the Khel Now Android App or IOS App and join our community on Whatsapp & Telegram.