Tuesday’s semifinal of the 132nd Durand Cup will be played on the Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan (VYBK) field, and East Bengal, who is in excellent form, will meet a challenging opponent in the tenacious NorthEast United FC (NEUFC) team, who will likely be playing in the biggest game in their nine-year existence.
The Highlanders have an appealing team that is a blend of youth and experience, and they are currently playing their finest tournament football in a very long time. Under the direction of the new Spanish coach Juan Pedro Benali, the team has gotten along quite well, and if they travel and acclimate successfully after leaving Guwahati, they will undoubtedly challenge the home team.
Coach Benali is aware of the enormity of the occasion stating in pre-game comments, “This semifinal isn’t just another match. We’re playing in Kolkata against the home team, in front of their fans. And East Bengal are a team with quality players in all positions and on the bench too.”
“We’re here to represent our region and fight for our people. Our fans believe in us and we want to make them proud. Together, as one, we’ll give it our all and make history,” he said on the eve of the match.
The Highlanders may hold a head-to-head advantage against the century-old club, but they will undoubtedly need to make history if they want to defeat the 16-time Durand champions in front of their home crowd.
It’s also not like Emami East Bengal (EEB) played flawlessly in the Durand Cup this year. The fact that EB scored six goals while giving up three at the back while NEUFC scored ten goals while allowing the same number of goals will give them hope.
But EEB seem to be getting the job done when it matters most as was evident in their clinical victory over former champions Gokulam in the quarter-finals. And their Spanish coach Carles Cuadrat has not put a foot wrong since coming on this season.
As pragmatic and respectful of opponents as ever, Cuadrat said in his comments a day ahead of the big game, “We are in the semifinals after playing out an intense quarter-final against Gokulam. NorthEast United have been unbeaten in this tournament so far. They have a good mix of youth and experience, which makes them a very competitive opponent. It’s definitely going to be a tough match, but our players know their roles well. As a unit, we are working in the right direction.”
-IANS
