Hyderabad FC meet Delhi FC; East Bengal face Bangladesh Army

KOLKATA/GUWAHATI: The 2021-22 Indian Super League (ISL) champions Hyderabad FC take on debutants Delhi FC, who have been newly promoted to I-League Second Division, in the 132nd Durand Cup at Guwahati’s Indira Gandhi Athletic Stadium, on Sunday.

Double headers will continue in the 132nd Durand Cup on the first Sunday of the tournament as local giants East Bengal FC open their campaign against the Bangladesh Army Football Team (BAFT) in the second match of the day, at Kolkata’s Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan (VYBK).

The day will see two matches that would seemingly be comfortable outings for the fancied teams involved.

Even though Hyderabad FC go into Sunday’s first match of the day after just four training sessions at home, with a new-look squad and a new first-team coach in Conor Nestor as well.

However, they still possess enough quality to put it across Delhi FC. The team from the capital though has been on a good run, winning the third-division league and have assembled a squad of players who have enough experi-ence of the Indian national circuit.

Speaking ahead of the game, the 39-year-old Irishman Conor Nestor said, “The training sessions have been good. Some have played a lot and are well-known and some haven’t played much, but I can see the potential. It’s very much a new chapter in a new direction for us. No coach wants to see massive changes and ideally, the changes won’t be as dramatic as they are.”

Those changes probably point to the new signings they have this season like Aaryan Saroha, Jonathan Moya, Joe Knowles, Petteri Pennanen, Vignesh and Makan Chote among others. Among those who have “played a lot” will be their pillar in midfield Brazilian Joao Victor.

Delhi FC have a side with enough pluck with the likes of Vinil Poojary, Himanshu Jangra, Girik Khosla and Bali Gagandeep also bringing in a lot of experience. If Hyderabad fail to get their combination right, given it’s the first game of the season, Delhi might even pull off a surprise. IANS

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