Mohun Bagan vs Indian Air Force FT Match Preview | Durand Cup 2024
Mariners in Durand 2024
In their opening game of Durand Cup 2024, Mohun Bagan managed to score a goal and secure a win despite fielding mostly youth players and having a substitute list of just 4 players.The senior squad, especially the star foreigners of Mohun Bagan started their training on the auspicious and historic 29th of July, under their new Spanish coach, José Francisco Molina, who will thus have plenty of senior team players to choose from and deploy against Indian Air Force FT in their second match of the historic Durand Cup.
The Mariners will be facing a wounded Indian Air Force FT, who lost both their matches and will invariably be eliminated with no possibility of advancement to the next round of the tournament.
The Indian Air Forces Football Team won their first Delhi Premier League in 1971 and won their 8th DPL as recently as 2021. They have Championed the prestigious DCM Trophy twice in 1955 and '56, the Lal Bahadur Shastri Cup in 1983 and 2006, the Mohan Kumar Mangalam Football Tournament in 2005.
The Mariners will be facing a wounded Indian Air Force FT, who lost both their matches and will invariably be eliminated with no possibility of advancement to the next round of the tournament.
History of the Indian Air Force FT
Under the auspices of the Air Force Sports Control Board, the Air Force Football team has competed in the Durand Cup since the 1960s. Numerous prominent AF players, like CPl Unilrishanan, CPl Subi Sarkar, and Ex Sqn Ldr SS Hakim, had participated in this esteemed Cup.The Indian Air Forces Football Team won their first Delhi Premier League in 1971 and won their 8th DPL as recently as 2021. They have Championed the prestigious DCM Trophy twice in 1955 and '56, the Lal Bahadur Shastri Cup in 1983 and 2006, the Mohan Kumar Mangalam Football Tournament in 2005.
The team played the Durand Cup Finals in 1955 against the mighty Madras Regimental Center Football Team. And yes "finals", not final, as there were two replays! The first two "finals" ended 0-0 after extra time. Back then, penalty shootouts or golden goals were not implemented in the Durand Cup, and drawn eliminators would simply be replayed.
In the third final match, Madras Regimental Team won 3-2 over Indian Air Force FT. The Air Force FT have not qualified for a Durand final ever since.
Air Force FT in Durand 2024
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| Indian Air Forces FT (Courtesy: Durand Cup Media via X) |
Currently, Sgts. Shibin Raj, Arashpreet Singh, and Subhajit Basu are members of the team and have played in the I-league. In addition, the AF Football squad plays in the Delhi Premier Division league and is currently the runner-up in the Inter Services Football Championship 2024–25.
This time around in the Durand Cup they have proved their prowess by scoring the opening goal against tough opponents Emami East Bengal FC. Their coach, Priya Darshan, has a balanced tactic with a 4-4-2 formation and their players are not afraid to be physical to gain possession and find opportunities to score in the upcoming game.
Mohun Bagan look confident against Air Force FT with star-studded players on their side. They will look to field an offensive midfield with the aim to secure 3 crucial points and sufficient goal difference that moves them to the top of Group A before the defending champions face Derby opponents, EBFC, on 18th August in their final group stage match.
Indian Air Force FT has all of their players available for the match. They may be lacking foreign players in the squad but their determination and physical presence often proves to be a hurdle for other teams.
Their striker, Naorem Somananda Singh, will be the player to look out for, who scored a header against EBFC in their first match of the Durand Cup. Subhajit Basu and the defensive four will also have their work cut out for, and they will need to put up a consolidated team effort to deny the Mariners from scoring goals.
On the other hand, Mohun Bagan have nearly all of their senior players available for the match except Dimitri Petratos whose arrival is delayed due to visa issues and Jamie Maclaren who hasn't been registered at the time of the publishing of this article. This will be the first match gaffer Molina will present his grand plans with the Mohun Bagan Senior Team to Indian football.
Indian Air Force FT has all of their players available for the match. They may be lacking foreign players in the squad but their determination and physical presence often proves to be a hurdle for other teams.
Their striker, Naorem Somananda Singh, will be the player to look out for, who scored a header against EBFC in their first match of the Durand Cup. Subhajit Basu and the defensive four will also have their work cut out for, and they will need to put up a consolidated team effort to deny the Mariners from scoring goals.
Mohun Bagan's Expected Lineups
Gearing up for Thursday’s Durand Cup clash! 💪#MBSG #JoyMohunBagan #আমরাসবুজমেরুন pic.twitter.com/1j8TtP6eTQ
— Mohun Bagan Super Giant (@mohunbagansg) August 6, 2024
On the other hand, Mohun Bagan have nearly all of their senior players available for the match except Dimitri Petratos whose arrival is delayed due to visa issues and Jamie Maclaren who hasn't been registered at the time of the publishing of this article. This will be the first match gaffer Molina will present his grand plans with the Mohun Bagan Senior Team to Indian football.
With latest injuries to Goalkeeper Dheeraj Singh and Midfielder Greg Stewart, they are expected not to feature in the squad list. In goal, our 'flying kite' Vishal Kaith is the only viable starter.
The defensive line will be interesting to observe. Currently, Anwar Ali is in no man's land, Dippendu Biswas still isn't match fit and there are no other Indian defenders available for selection as it seems unlikely anyone from the Reserves side are going to be playing the Durand.
Thus, it is likely Tom Aldred will be partnering with Alberto Rodrigues, Subhashish Bose and Ashish Rai. In midfield, Apuia is expected to start along with Abhishek Suryavanshi or Anirudh Thapa and Sahal Abdul Samad.
Manvir Singh or Ashique Kuruniyan might feature on the left wing with Jason Cummings and Suhail Ahmad Bhat up top in a highly dynamic 3-5-2 to 4-4-2 formation.
While Jamie Maclaren might not start the game, there always remains a possibility for a substitute appearance. Another possibility includes a 3-4-3 diamond formation involving Aldred, Alberto, Bose as CBs, Sahal, Apuia, Suryavanshi and Thapa as a midfield four and Ashique, Manvir and Cummings at the forward line.
Bagan are expected to be winning the game with relative ease after all and gain valuable insights to optimise their approach ahead of the derby on 18th August.
Indian Air Force's Predicted XI (4-4-2)
Subhajit Basu, Mohd. Aqib, Amal Das, Sankit, Ashok Kumar(C), Zeeshan Ansari, Biswajit Halder, Mohd. Danish, Puneet Singh, N. Somananda Singh, Saurav Sadhukhan
Kick Off: 8th August, 2024 at 4:00 PM IST
Live Stream: Sony Sports Ten 2 (TV) and Sony Liv (OTT)
Venue: Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan (Salt Lake Stadium), Kolkata, West Bengal, India.
Live Stream: Sony Sports Ten 2 (TV) and Sony Liv (OTT)
Venue: Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan (Salt Lake Stadium), Kolkata, West Bengal, India.
