Durand Cup: Kerala Blasters and Indian Air Force to end campaign tonight

The penultimate day of the group matches of the 132^nd IndianOil Durand Cup on Monday (August 21, 2023) will feature the first and only game at the East Bengal grounds in Kolkata between the Kerala Blasters and the Indian Air Force football team (IAFFT), followed by a crucial game in Kokrajhar’s SAI stadium between the Indian Army football team (IAFT) and Rajasthan United FC (RUFC).

The first Group C game in Kolkata has a scheduled kick-off at 3.00pm Indian Standard Time (IST) while the second Group F game which kicks-off at 6.00pm IST in Kokrajhar.

Whatever be the result of the Kerala Blasters-IAFFT game, both teams will be playing their final games of this edition of the IndianOil Durand Cup. The Manjappadas have a solitary point from two games as do the Air Men and a win and four points will certainly not be enough to qualify as one of the two-second placed sides. Besides champions Bengaluru FC can still log more points than both of them given they have a game in hand.

Air Force coach Priya Darshan however was certain he wanted to sign-off with a win, saying ahead of the game,”Team needs a win and we will go all out for this.”

Frank Dauwen, who has been deputising for Head Coach Ivan Vukomanovic for the Durand Cup will also be hoping his talented side sign-off with a win. They were on the wrong end of a seven-goal slug fest with Gokulam Kerala and drew with the champions, however someone like a Md. Aimen has really caught the eye and played some pleasing football for them.