Mohun Bagan vs Downtown Heroes Preview, predicted lineup, injury news, H2H, telecast details | Durand Cup 2024

Mohun Bagan will be the favourite going into the contest.

The first match of the 133rd edition of the Durand Cup will see defending champions Mohun Bagan take on an aspiring Downtown Heroes FC side at the Salt Lake Stadium on Saturday (27 July).

The Mariners will hope to kick off their campaign on a strong note with a dominant performance in front of their form, knowing that any dropped points against this unpredictable Jammu & Kashmir league side can pose serious questions on their title defence capability.

The Stakes

Mohun Bagan

Mohun Bagan have built up quite a formidable squad after signing the likes of Jamie Maclaren, Lalengmawia Ralte and Greg Stewart in the summer. But neither of their ‘explosive’ new signings will likely debut against Downtown Heroes. Jose Molina might not be in the dugout for the Durand Cup opener. The Mariners are likely to give more chances to their younger players participating in the Calcutta Football League (CFL) along with some senior players.

Irrespective, Mohun Bagan still have enough quality and firepower among their youngsters to torment a local team like Downtown Heroes. The younger players will aim to make a mark on Jose Molina by bringing their very best to the table, being prolific in the final third and playing slicking attacking football to help the Mariners start the competition. A loss or a draw against a team playing in the I-League 2 can, however, start raising questions despite whatever team they play.

Downtown Heroes FC

Downtown Heroes are participating in their second straight Durand Cup competition. They are still in their toddler years, trying their best to rise to the pecking order in Indian Football. Unlike Mohun Bagan, Downtown Heroes do not have some of the best young Indian players in the country. What they do have is a ton of promising local talent, who will look to torment the Mariners and produce an energetic display to win over the scouts watching this game.

A loss is not going to hurt Downtown Heroes that much knowing the opponent, but they could gain a lot of respect if able to give the Kolkata side a run for their money. If they are able to somehow get a point out of this game, Downtown Heroes would be able to prove that they’re making serious progress as a club and can hang with the best of them.

Injury & Team News

Mohun Bagan saw their youngster Thumsol Tongsin get injured in a recent CFL game. He is going to miss this opening game.

Head-to-Head

This will be the first time that Mohun Bagan and Downtown Heroes FC face each other across any competition.

Probable Line-ups

Mohun Bagan (4-2-3-1)

Dheeraj Singh (GK); Asish Rai, Dippendu Biswas, Sumit Rathi, Amandeep; Abhishek Suryavanshi, Glan Martins; Engson Singh, Taison Singh, Brijesh Giri; Suhail Bhat

Downtown Heroes FC (4-2-3-1)

Taif Bashir (GK); Zubair Akhoon, Shahmeer Tariq, Iqlak Fayaz, Calvin Barretto; Tabish Mehraj, Inamul Haq; Zahid Yousuf, Basit Ahmed, Shahid Nazir; Asrar Khan

Players to Watch

Suhail Bhat (Mohun Bagan)

Mohun Bagan’s young striker Suhail Bhat is determined to be the breakout star of the 2024-25 season for Jose Molina’s side. He has already been turning heads with his performances in the CFL, being the shining light for what has been a disappointing start to the 2024 edition for the Mariners.

Suhail has scored five goals already in as many matches, including a brilliant goal against East Bengal too. Bhat has that eye for goal, being able to anticipate exactly when the ball will fall to him in key scoring areas. After scoring a goal for the Mariners in the 2023 Durand Cup win, he’ll aim to help them kick off the 2024 edition by tormenting the Downtown Heroes backline with his trickery and efficiency.

Basit Ahmed (Downtown Heroes)

Downtown Heroes will be punching above their weight in a tough Durand Cup group but will hope for some inspiration from captain Basit Ahmed Bhat. The 26-year-old winger is a pretty experienced candidate in Indian football, having played for the likes of Gokulam Kerala, Kerala Blasters B and Real Kashmir in the major divisions. He spent the 2023-24 season at Gokulam, failing to make his impact and having a disappointing outing.

But Ahmed’s experience factor will make him a leader in this inexperienced Downtown Heroes side. The younger players will look up to him to lead by example and Basit needs to tap into his clinical best. He will look to trouble the Mohun Bagan backline with clever running down the wide areas and open up as much space as possible for his forwards. Ahmed needs to be at his best with his final delivery, crossing and also get into more scoring chances to pose a threat to the Mariners and give his side any chance of salving a respectable result.  

Did you know?

• Mohun Bagan have won more Durand Cup titles (17) than any other team in the history of the competition.
• Downtown Heroes FC were founded only in 2020 by a group of young professionals determined to promote a sporting culture in the J&K region and steer youngsters away from drug addiction.
• The last time Mohun Bagan played a game against a Kashmir-based team was Real Kashmir in January 2020, where they picked up a 2-0 win.

Telecast Details

The Durand Cup 2024 opening game between Mohun Bagan and Downtown Heroes will take place at the Salt Lake Stadium, Kolkata on July 27. The game will kick off at 6 PM IST. It will be shown live on Sony Ten 2 and will also be available for live streaming on Sony LIV.

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