Durand Cup 2025 Preview: East Bengal strive to assert dominance in their last group stage encounter

East Bengal FC will take on Indian Air Force FT in the last match of Group A before the knockouts.

East Bengal have sealed their spot in the quarter-finals of the Durand Cup 2025, and now is the time for them to check their preparations for the knockouts in their last group stage clash against Indian Air Force FT. The Red and Gold Brigade have looked to be a force to be reckoned with in the competition with an unblemished record.

Indian Air Force FT have already crashed out of the race to knockouts, and this will be an opportunity for them to salvage some pride before their campaign concludes. The biggest challenge for them is to keep the waves of attack from East Bengal in check, as their defence has not looked impressive with seven goals already scored against them.

Stakes:

East Bengal FC

The Red and Gold brigade would touch the turf on Sunday with their place already confirmed in the Quarter Finals. However, this is not the end of the road; rather, Oscar Bruzon will tell his boys the real campaign starts now.

Before the knockouts start, this will be a fantastic opportunity for East Bengal to tweak their combination and try out a few new and young names to see who has the mettle to change the game when the situation demands.

East Bengal made some interesting signings before the tournament started, and with no real pressure in the tie against IAFT, they will look to acclimatise and know the setup in the match situation, which serves as the best training routine.

Indian Air Force FT

Nothing substantial is at stake for the Indian Air Force FT going into this encounter. However, with an armed forces background, pride is all that inspires them to give their all on the pitch, regardless of whether something is on the offer or not. They started their campaign with an impressive goal-fest against South United in a match that saw six goals being scored.

But their defence, which conceded three goals, was a major loophole that was exploited again in the second match against Namdhari, resulting in their elimination. Now that they have nothing to lose, the match against East Bengal FC might bring the best out of them.

Team News

Both clubs are expected to field the same squad with no major changes in sight. However, since both teams have their fate locked, there might be changes in the starting lineup. East Bengal FC might look to give more game time to their youngsters, hoping to find some revelations moving ahead in the season.

Head-to-Head Record

East Bengal FC and Indian Air Force FT have only met on one occasion. Interestingly, it was their clash in the same competition last year, where the Kolkata club registered a comprehensive victory.

However, IAFT did not give away the match easily as they opened the scoring before conceding three goals, resulting in their defeat. IAFT will take inspiration from their last year’s outing against East Bengal to go a step ahead and trounce the Kolkata club.

Predicted Lineups

East Bengal FC

Debjit Majumder, Anwar Ali, Lalchungnunga, Mohamad Rakip, David Lalhlansanga, Naorem Mahesh, Martand Raina, Saul Crespo, Mohamad Rashid, PV Vishnu, Hamid Ahadad

Indian Air Force FT

Shibin Raj K (GK), Md. Aquib, Amaldas K.R, Sankit, Jijo Jerone, Alkesh AS, Samuel K, N. Somananda, Akhish, Saurav Sadhukhan, Aman Khan.

Players to watch out

Hamid Ahadad (East Bengal FC)

Hamid Ahadad, the Moroccan recruit, made an instant impact for the team on his debut against Namdhari FC as he scored the solitary goal, which guided East Bengal to a victory, confirming their spot in the quarter-finals. East Bengal fans would be thrilled to watch their Moroccan magic man again in action on Sunday.

With a goal already on debut, Ahadad looks a promising prospect for the Red and Gold Brigade. He will be expected to share the goalscoring responsibility with Dimitrios Diamantakos this season, and the Moroccan will be determined to lay the foundation for the season with some impressive outings in the Durand Cup.

Sankit (Indian Air Force FT)

The tall centre back for the Indian Air Force will be the one to watch out for against East Bengal. IAFT have been shaky in defense, and they will be eager to improve their record, and for that, this man has to step up. On the defensive front, he has not been able to do something noteworthy, but this will be a great opportunity for him to lead the backline to glory.

Defensive outing might not have been impressive, but Sankit made sure he kept contributing. The defender has a couple of goals to his name so far in the campaign. It will be interesting to see if IAFT will again have an unlikely goal scorer in Sankit on the scoresheet against East Bengal.

Telecast Details

The Durand Cup 2025 Group A game between East Bengal FC and IAFT will be played on Sunday, 10 August 2025, at the Kishore Bharati Krinangan. It will kick off at 7 PM IST. The match will be shown live on the Sony Ten Sports network and SonyLIV.

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