Kolkata (West Bengal) [India], August 5 : Indian Super League (ISL) sides Hyderabad FC and East Bengal FC will begin their Durand Cup 2023 campaigns when they take on Delhi FC and Bangladesh Army Ft respectively on Sunday.
The games will mark the beginning of new coaching regimes at the two clubs. Hyderabad FC who are managed by a leadership group of Thangboi Singto, Conor Nestor and Shameel Chembakath will play their first competitive under the new coaches while East Bengal FC will begin the Carles Cuadrat era, as per an ISL press release.
Both teams will look to build some confidence ahead of the new ISL season and hopefully land silverware in the process.
-Hyderabad FC vs Delhi FC - Indira Gandhi Athletic Stadium, Guwahati - 2:30 PM IST
It has been a summer of change at Hyderabad FC after the departure of head coach Manolo Marquez to FC Goa. The Yellow and Blacks have also lost Javier Siverio, Odei Onaindia, Akash Mishra, Joel Chianese, Halicharan Narzary, Borja Herrera and Rohit Danu.
But the 2021-22 ISL Cup winners have brought in Vignesh Dakshinamurthy from Mumbai City FC, Makan Chothe from FC Goa and three foreign signings in Petteri Pennanen, Joe Knowles and Jonathan Moya.
It will be interesting to see who Hyderabad FC field in their opening Durand Cup game with the club just beginning their pre-season a while back but it will surely give a glimpse of how the team will look under new management.
Hyderabad FC will come up against Delhi FC, the champions of I-League 2 who have gained promotion to the I-League. Upbeat after last season, the capital-based side who reached the quarter-finals of the 2021 Durand Cup after beating Kerala Blasters FC will look to impress against stronger opposition.
East Bengal vs Bangladesh Army FT - Vivekanand Yuba Bharati Krirangan, Kolkata - 4:45 PM IST
The Red and Golds will start the new season with plenty of optimism after a busy summer that saw the club sign some key players and strengthen their squad.
In Cuadrat, they have a coach who has prior experience of winning the ISL and there will be heightened expectations among the East Bengal fans.
The Kolkata giants have announced a full-strength squad for the Durand Cup and will like to begin with a win in front of the home crowd.
East Bengal’s rivals beat Bangladesh Army 5-0 in the opening round and the Red and Golds’ faithful will expect a big win for their side ahead of the derby next week.
Disclaimer: This post has been auto-published from an agency feed without any modifications to the text and has not been reviewed by an editor