File photo of Bengaluru United.
Day five of the Durand Cup will see some more action from Group A when the Indian Air Force Football Team will take on FC Bengaluru United. The match is scheduled for a 3 PM kick-off at the Kalyani Municipality Stadium on and will be broadcast Live on the Addatimes app and website.
In the second match of the day, Assam Rifles will square off against Army Red. The match is scheduled for a 3 pm kick-off at the Vivekananda Yubabharati Krirangan (VYBK). Incidentally, this clash also marks the first all-regimental affair in this year’s tournament.
With the other two sides in this group being top Indian Super League (ISL) franchises Hyderabad FC and Kerala Blasters FC, the onus will be on both Assam Rifles and Army Red to claim the full quota of points when they face each other.
The Indian Air Force team lost their opening match to Mohammedan SC by a staggering 4-1 margin, making their game against Bengaluru United a must-win. The I-League 2nd division side, on the other hand, did just enough in their first game to see off 10-men CRPF by a slender 1-0 margin.
A win against the Airmen will all but guarantee a place in the knockout stages for United.
Speaking ahead of the game, Richard Hood, Head Coach, FC Bengaluru United said, “We were not expecting any set of 90 minutes to be easy at the Durand and were mentally prepared to work for our points. The approach remains the same going into our game v Air Force and that is to be ready to put in one more sincere shift and ensure that we secure the 3 points.
“It is hard to label any game as most or least important at this stage. Everyone involved is locked into the commitment to not drop any points and build on adding to our points tally through a steady and convincing performance.”
