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East Bengal coach Alejandro Menendez must have heaved a sigh of relief after his team edged past a spirited Army Red football team in their opening match of the Durand Cup. In their next assignment, they are all set to face a tougher challenge in the form of Jamshedpur FC, with both teams set to square off on August 6th.
Like all other Indian Super League teams, Jamshedpur will also be sending their reserve team for this tournament. Even though the team consists mostly of junior level players, they will certainly put their opponents to test and this will be their first appearance in this prestigious tournament.
TEAM NEWS
East Bengal
The Red and Golds may have collected all the three points against Army Red, but their overall performance was far from expected. For a team playing with all their top players, it looked like the team needed more time to gel.
Coach Alejandro Menendez has affirmed once again on Saturday that he is taking Durand Cup and Calcutta Football League as preparatory tournaments. Hence, he can be expected to utilize most of his players on a rotational basis to see where they stand before finalizing his core squad for I-League.
It is expected that he will continue his experimentation against Jamshedpur as well. It needs to be seen if he makes some changes in the main team. The likes of Abhijit Sarkar, Pintu Mahata and Abhishek Ambekar need more time to get acclimatized with their new team.
As of now, there are no injury concerns for the Red and Golds.
Jamshedpur FC
The Reserve team of Jamshedpur FC have been on song in recent times. They have one of the most beautiful youth set-ups in the country. With Tata Football Academy on their side, they have no dearth of talented footballers.
In their team, there are four TFA U-16 cadets and eight TFA U-18 cadets. This is in line with the club’s philosophy to groom and promote players through the youth ranks.
The JFC Reserve team have been playing regularly for the last two months and have played more than 14 games in this time span. They have won JSA Premier League and JSA Super Cup, the two local tournaments.
Recently, they underwent an exposure tour in Bhubaneswar where they played India’s U-16 and U-19 teams.
KEY PLAYERS
Jaime Santos Colado (East Bengal)
One of the talented youngsters of this East Bengal team, Santos proved his worth in the last match with a brilliant free-kick from 18 yards. His effort in the first half hit the post, but he made amends in his second strike to score one of the most magnificent goals in Red and Gold colours.
He mainly plays as an attacking midfielder but against Army Red, he was deployed in the front line, a position where he clearly lacked an able partner. There was no one who could assist him up front.
Santos, with his never-give-up attitude, rose to the occasion and turned the match single-handedly. It remains to be seen how far he goes in this tournament.
Vimal Kumhar (Jamshedpur)
One of the most destructive players of this Jamshedpur team, Vimal plays as a forward. His deadly form in the local tournaments helped his club to clinch the title. Vimal scored more than 10 goals in these tournaments, including a brace in the JSA Super Cup final. He will be keenly watched by the opponents.
DURAND CUP RECORD
While East Bengal are 16-time champions of this tournament, this will be the first appearance for Jamshedpur FC in the Durand Cup. The organisers, for the first time gave the opportunity to the ISL clubs to participate in this prestigious tournament and showcase their talent. Given their recent form, Jamshedpur will be eagerly waiting to surprise one and all with their performance.
MATCH INFORMATION
East Bengal vs Jamshedpur FC
Date: 6 August 2019
Kick-off: 3.00 PM IST
Venue: East Bengal Ground
Live Stream: Addatimes App
MATCH PREDICTION
From all aspects, this is going to be tough match for East Bengal. They have failed to meet expectations of their supporters in their opening match. Even though it is a preparatory tournament for their coach, any kind of slip-up will pose tough questions in front of him.
Comparing the team combinations, East Bengal may edge past their opponents by a slight margin.
Predicted Score: East Bengal 1-0 Jamshedpur
Also see : Durand Cup, Durand Cup Schedule, Calcutta Football League.
