Durand Cup will see the repeat of its 2019 semifinal when Emami East Bengal takes on Gokulam Kerala FC in the second quarterfinal at the Salt Lake Stadium in Kolkata on Thursday.
East Bengal is the joint most successful team of the tournament, winning the title 16 times, the same as Mohun Bagan Super Giant, which will be in action in another quarterfinal, three days later.
Gokulam Kerala, on the other hand, is only the second club from Kerala to ever win the tournament. It beat Mohun Bagan in 2019 to win the title 22 years after FC Kochin, the first club from the state to lift the Durand Cup.
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GKFC had outplayed East Bengal in that campaign in the semis, winning 3-2 on penalties. But East Bengal would take solace from the head-to-head record where it leads 3-2.
“Gokulam were the champions of their group, so a tough match awaits us at the VYBK tomorrow,” Carles Cuadrat, the head coach of East Bengal, said before the match.
“The stakes are obviously higher in the knockouts, but I believe in taking one match at a time. We faced some strong opponents in the group stage, and doing well against them has boosted our confidence.”
The paths of both teams in this edition of the Durand Cup have been similar for both sides. East Bengal beat its arch-rival, Mohun Bagan, and finished as the group-topper.
Gokulam Kerala, too, emerged victorious in the Kerala derby, pipping Kerala Blasters 4-3 and finishing on top in its group.
“We will play against a big team, ISL players and in their city, but we are excited and we are preparing the match to do all our best,” said Domingo Oramas, the head coach of GKFC.
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“We need to be compact in defence and brave and be attacking to do a good performance. We want to enjoy and give happiness to our supporters.”
While Cuadrat’s side will rest its hopes of attack on the shoulders of Naorem Mahesh Singh, Nandhkumar, Javier Siverio, Saul Crespo and Cleiton Silva, the Malabarians will hope to see Sreekuttan, Sourav, Noufal, Nili Perdomo and Alex Sanchez step up for them in the high-intensity fixture.
East Bengal versus Gokulam Kerala will kick off at 6 pm and the winner of the match will face NorthEast United in the semifinal on August 29.
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