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Mumbai City FC will lock horns with Bengaluru FC in the Durand Cup 2022 final on Sunday, September 18, at the Vivekananda Yuva Bharati Krirangan in Kolkata. The side has put up an exciting brand of football on display and managed to oust every big challenge along the way.
Addressing reporters ahead of the summit clash, Mumbai City FC's head coach Des Buckingham shared views on his side's upcoming challenge.
Buckingham expects a thrilling encounter and will set his side in the way he has so far. Speaking on his expectations from this much-anticipated contest, he said:
"The game I am expecting is an exciting one. We've set up the way we want to play and I can speak about it being an exciting brand of football. We've shown that with the number of goals we've scored in this tournament.
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"If you look at the opposition, they've also got a very good run so far. They have some wonderful players as well."
The Islanders have spent some time training in Dubai, preparing for the challenges ahead of them in the 2022-23 season. Shedding light on the side's preparations and how well they are equipped to go past the hurdles ahead of them, Buckingham said:
"I think we've got ourselves in the best position we can with the time available to us. We said early on that we wanted to prepare ourselves as well as we could, first for the Durand cup and then for the start of the ISL. We spent three weeks in Dubai to make sure we could do that.
"We've obviously had to manage our group for the six games that we've had to get us to the seventh. I think this game will be a wonderful opportunity for us to try and get better."
The Mumbai City FC head coach added that he has been able to utilize every player in the Durand Cup, preparing them for the ISL and adapting them to his style. He further added that the staff have managed to keep track of the players' fitness levels and have been able to guide them in the process of recovery.
Mumbai City FC's head coach delighted to have Mourtada Fall back with the squad
Mourtada Fall has been one of the key figures in the Islanders' backline. However, the defender did not feature in the initial stages of the ongoing Durand Cup due to injury.
Fall's first appearance in the tournament came in Mumbai City FC's semi-final encounter against Mohammedan SC. Speaking on the return of the defender, Buckingham said:
"We lost Rahul Bheke early on in the tournament. Mourtada arrived a little bit later than the others. We needed to first make sure that he was fit and able. We were confident that if we started him, he would be able to play 90, maybe a 120 against Mohammedan if we needed him to.
"I'm not sure if he was a missing link but it's a pleasure to welcome him back."
Mumbai City FC will be up against the likes of Roy Krishna and Sunil Chhetri in the final. The side are eager to make an impact and welcome the first silverware of the 2022-23 season.
