New Delhi [India], July 31 : With the 132nd edition of the Durand Cup set to begin in August, it will be interesting to see how Group B plays out. Group B is among the toughest groups in the upcoming edition of the Durand Cup with Indian Super League (ISL) League Shield winners Mumbai City FC, Jamshedpur FC, last season’s semi-finalists Mohammedan SC and the Indian Navy Football Team pitted together.
Mumbai City FC will look to start the tournament with a bang after strengthening their squad in the summer transfer despite some notable departures in their squad, as per a press release from Indian Super League (ISL).
Meanwhile, for Jamshedpur FC, it is the start of a new era with Scott Cooper replacing Aidy Boothroyd as head coach. The Red Miners are currently in a rebuilding process and will be looking to bounce back after a disappointing campaign last season.
I-League side Mohammedan SC are no pushovers either. The Kolkata side finished runners-up in the 2021 edition of the Durand Cup, narrowly losing out to FC Goa. They were the only I-League side to reach the semi-finals in the previous edition, where they went down to Mumbai City FC. Meanwhile, the Indian Navy Football Team will be aiming to spoil the party for some of the big clubs in their group.
Jamshedpur FC will be eyeing a positive start after appointing Cooper as their head coach. The Irish-English manager brings with him a ton of experience and has a taste of Asian football, having worked with clubs such as Buriram United, Muangthong United, Ubon UMT United, Police Tero, and Port FC.
Cooper will be looking to hit the ground running at Jamshedpur FC, with the Red Miners recruiting as many as four new foreign signings. Having a knack for grooming young talents, the Irish-English tactician will hope to get the best out of the youngsters in the Jamshedpur FC set up alongside building a team that could challenge for the title.
Mumbai City FC head into the 2023 Durand Cup as one of the heavy favourites. The Islanders participated at Asia’s oldest football tournament for the first time during the 2022 edition and reached the final after some impressive performances.
In the previous edition, Des Buckingham’s side finished top of their group over the likes of Mohun Bagan Super Giant and East Bengal FC, qualifying for the knockout stages. Mumbai City FC might have finished the tournament as runners-up, but did so playing some quality brand of football besides scoring the most goals. With their squad stacked with quality players all around, MCFC will be hoping to repeat the same and claim their first-ever Durand Cup title.
Group B matches:
-August 5, 2023
Mohammedan SC vs Mumbai City FC (4:45 PM)
Kishore Bharati Krirangan
-August 8, 2023
Mumbai City FC vs Jamshedpur FC (6:00 PM)
Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan
-August 11, 2023
Mohammedan SC vs Indian Navy (3:00 PM)
Kishore Bharati Krirangan
-August 17, 2023
Jamshedpur FC vs Indian Navy (3:00 PM)
Mohun Bagan Ground
-August 19, 2023
Mumbai City FC vs Indian Navy (2:30 PM)
Vivekananda Yuba Bharatu Krirangan
-August 20, 2023
Mohammedan SC vs Jamshedpur FC (4:45 PM)
Kishore Bharati Krirangan.
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