Durand Cup 2022: Bengaluru FC vs Indian Air Force - 3 player battles to watch out for

Indian Super League (ISL) side Bengaluru FC will look to make it two wins in two as they take on Indian Air Force in Group A of the 2022 Durand Cup on Tuesday, August 23. The fixture will take place at Kishore Bharati Krirangan in Kolkata at 6:00 PM IST.

The 2021 semi-finalists Bengaluru FC got off to a winning start last Wednesday, beating a young Jamshedpur FC side 2-1. Skipper Sunil Chhetri headed the Blues into the lead in the first half before Roy Krishna, on debut, found the net early in the second period.

Another debutant, Hira Mondal, had a forgettable afternoon as he was booked twice and sent off just before the hour mark. That allowed Jamshedpur FC a way back in the match as they halved the deficit in the 61st minute through Rishi Rajput.

Bengaluru FC's experience triumphed in the end as they managed the game well until the end, avoiding any late surprises from the Jamshedpur FC colts.

Indian Air Force, on the other hand, couldn't make their experience count, suffering a 0-1 loss to the youngsters of FC Goa. It was a frustrating afternoon for Priya Darshan's side, who had to chase the game from start to finish after going behind early on.

Indian Air Force had no dearth of chances after the break but lacked a cutting edge in the final third. Mohammad Aqib came closest to scoring as he struck the crossbar late in the second half.

After obtaining opposing results in their previous matches, it will be interesting to see how Bengaluru FC and Indian Air Force approach this game. On that note, let's take a look at three player battles that can be key in deciding the match.

#3 Sunil Chhetri (BFC) vs Mohammad Aqib (IAF)

Sunil Chhetri kicked off the 21st season of his professional career with a goal and an assist against Jamshedpur in the first match. He headed in from a corner to put the Blues ahead before deftly setting up Roy Krishna to score the second.

Needless to say, Chhetri will be at the center of the Indian Air Force defense's attention. Mohammad Aqib was their most active defender against Goa and could be the one to take up the weighty responsibility of marking the Bengaluru skipper.

Having said that, the entire Air Force backline will need to work in utmost harmony if they are to put the brakes on Bengaluru's telepathic attacking unit.

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#2 Alan Costa (BFC) vs Vivek Kumar (IAF)

Centre-back Alan Costa only played the first half against Jamshedpur and hardly had to break a sweat to keep the attackers in check. The opposition forwards did not put much pressure on the Brazilian, allowing him to easily build up play from the back.

Costa might not be in for an effortless evening against Indian Air Force as they've shown how physical they can be. Experienced striker Vivek Kumar was their furthest man forward against Goa, leading the high press in the second half.

Kumar is also no stranger to scoring against teams from Bengaluru, as he showed with his brace against Bengaluru United in last year's Durand Cup.

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#1 Roy Krishna (BFC) vs Shibinraj Kunniyil (IAF)

Former ATK Mohun Bagan striker Roy Krishna enjoyed an amazing debut for his new club with a well-taken goal against Jamshedpur. The 34-year-old formed a good partnership with Chhetri and showed us what we can expect from the duo this season.

Krishna will be keen to add to his tally when he squares up against Indian Air Force custodian Shibinraj Kunniyil. Kunniyil had a shaky start against Goa but got better as the game went on, making a few decent saves to keep his side in the match.

The 29-year-old will be in for arguably the biggest test of his goalkeeping career, facing two of the most lethal finishers in Indian football in Krishna and Chhetri.