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Two of the most successful clubs in the competition’s history are in action on day two. Here is Sportskeeda’s preview.
Group B
Bengaluru FC vs Sporting Clube (17:00)
The I-League’s current top two face off in the opening fixture of the group of death. It finished goalless when the sides met in Bangalore in the I-League with the hosts dominating possession and the visitors defending solidly. Another stalemate is highly possible but it wouldn’t help either side as that would open the door for East Bengal to take an early advantage. Hence one can expect more goal scoring chances this time but each coach would certainly remind their team that league form will count for nothing in this competition so they must start from scratch again. The winner of this clash could even a strike a psychological blow to their fellow title contender.
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Key Battle: John Menyongar – Ogba Kalu
These two have certainly been outstanding in the I-League and instrumental in their respective team’s impressive start. Menyongar is Bengaluru’s deep-lying playmaker while Kalu has the habit of scoring goals by playing just behind the striker. The one who has the biggest influence on this game is likely to finish on the winning side.
East Bengal vs Rangdajied United (19:30)
In terms of personnel and history, this fixture is a complete mismatch but that certainly wasn’t the case in the I-League meeting last month as East Bengal needed a late winner in Shillong. Rangdajied won’t have home advantage this time but they have certainly improved since the loan additions from IMG-Reliance with the loss against East Bengal being their only defeat in the last six games. All the pressure will be on the red-and-gold brigade as they are both the favourites to win this group and the tournament. The derby loss has been a minor setback for Armando Colaco’s side but they have the perfect opportunity to bounce back by making a winning start in their Federation Cup title defence.
Key Battle: Edeh Chidi/James Moga – Gouramangi Singh/Lamine Tamba
It remains to be seen whether Colaco starts with both Chidi and Moga but if he does, the key duel on the pitch will be the one between the foreign strikers of East Bengal and Rangdajied’s central defensive pairing of Senegalese Tamba and India’s Gouramangi. If the Shillong club win this battle, they have every chance of causing an upset.
Group C
Salgaocar vs Shillong Lajong (16:00; LIVE on Ten Action)
Some fans might argue that Group C is the actual group of death because unlike B, there are no clear favourites in this group. Four-time winners Salgaocar maybe fifth in the I-League table but they haven’t won since November and only have three foreigners available. Lajong are currently fourth in the I-League but it remains to be seen whether their young squad can show the same consistency in a cup competition. The Shillong club will take confidence from the fact that they defeated Salgaocar last month but the Goan club will also have fond memories of winning the last Federation Cup meeting on their way to the title in 2011.
Key Battle: Darryl Duffy – Minchol Son
This is the duel between Salgaocar’s top scorer and the club captain of Lajong. Duffy would be eager to regain his early season form when he scored six in five matches but with one season in India under his belt, Son is an even better defender this term and thus will be confident of stopping the former Swansea striker.
Mohun Bagan vs Mumbai FC (19:00; LIVE on Ten Action)
With 13 titles, Mohun Bagan are the most successful side of this competition while Mumbai have failed to reached the semis in five attempts. But only two points separates the sides in this season’s I-League table with Mumbai only behind possibly because they have played a game less. They have met twice already this campaign with the Mariners narrowly winning in the away game before coming from behind to draw 1-1 at home. Another tight encounter is expected but the fact that Mumbai only have three foreigners in this tournament, with Henry Ezeh only recently signed, could make a difference. After the derby win, all the momentum is also with Karim Bencherifa’s side.
Key Battle: Katsumi Yusa – Ahmad Arash Hatifie
Yusa’s goals against Mohammedan Sporting and East Bengal recently shows that his game is not just about creating chances and for Mohun Bagan to end their trophy drought in this tournament, the Japanese will have to be at his very best. Hence Hatifie could be employed to give Yusa special attention especially considering that the Afghan international is extremely fit and can certainly tackle!
