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Bengaluru FC will square up against Mumbai City FC in the 2022 Durand Cup final on Sunday, September 18, at the Salt Lake Stadium in Kolkata.
The Blues have had a fairly good tournament so far, dropping points only twice in the group stage in draws against FC Goa and Mohammedan SC. They were tested defensively in their semi-final clash against Hyderabad FC, which they won 1-0.
Bengaluru FC head coach Simon Grayson and captain Sunil Chhetri addressed the media virtually ahead of their encounter against Des Buckingham's men. Assessing the opponents, Grayson said:
"They've got some very talented players. Greg Stewart was an outstanding player in the league last year. But they are not just a one-man team.
"They play a certain style of football, with a lot of possession. So it's a different type of test than the ones we've had in this tournament."
Grayson added that he admired the way his side defended and stopped the opposition from creating any chances in the semi-final. The English coach also added that he expects his side to be better in possession and not give the ball away cheaply.
The Bengaluru FC coach also shared his thoughts based on his side's pre-season, while adding that his side weren't tested in the Durand Cup until their encounter against Hyderabad. He said:
"We've had nearly 7-8 weeks of pre-season and in that period, we have combined a lot of fitness work, playing different systems.
"In the Durand Cup, we've progressed as we've gone along and had a test for ourselves against Hyderabad FC. Until then, I don't think we've been tested much defensively.
"We showed a lot of character defending the 18-yard box against a very strong team. We were disappointed with the way we played in possession. We gave the ball away way too cheaply and too often.
"But sometimes in games, you need to make sure that you defend well and we did that. I was pleased with that aspect."
Bengaluru FC skipper Sunil Chhetri not overthinking about the final
Sunil Chhetri, who is yet to win a Durand Cup title, seems pretty calm and is taking the final like any other challenge. He said:
"I think we are motivated enough anyways the way we have progressed to the finals. We just want to try and take it as just one game and not overthink it because it's a final."
Bengaluru FC will want to be more compact defensively and sound in possession against an attacking Mumbai City line-up.
