Confident East Bengal face a spirited Gokulam Kerala in the second quarterfinal game of the Durand Cup 2023.
EBFC vs GKFC Match Details
Date: Friday, 25 August 2023
Time: 18:00 (IST)
Venue: Salt Lake Stadium, Kolkata
EBFC vs GKFC Match Preview
Very few put money on East Bengal to escape the group stages of the Durand Cup after they played out a shock 2-2 draw with Bangladesh Army team. The Red and Gold lost their two goal advantage in the last minutes of the game making their chances slim ahead of the Kolkata derby with arch-rivals Mohun Bagan and facing I-League champions Punjab FC. But they turned around their fortunes in style winning their next two matches by 1-0 score. East Bengal won their group and now have an easier route to make it to the final of the competition as well. If they progress from the quarterfinals against Gokulam Kerala, facing NorthEast United is a strong possibility in the semis. The final could be against Mumbai City, FC Goa, Chennaiyin FC or a Kolkata derby again. East Bengal will certainly hope to progress further into the contest maintaining an unbeaten start under new manager Carles Cuadrat. Also keeping a clean sheet in last two matches and the home advantage at Salt Lake Stadium could be a huge factor on Friday.
The 2019 Durand Cup winners Gokulam Kerala will hope to land the trophy this time as well but the path will be extremely peril. The only I-League team remaining in the Durand Cup, the Malabarians also experienced a spectacular time in the Durand Cup. Topping a group containing ISL team and Southern rivals in Kerala Blasters and Bengaluru FC reserves with Indian Air Force being the other side. However, their form will be a thing of worry as they lost to Bengaluru FC in the last match after defeating the Blasters in 4-3 thriller and a 2-0 victory in the opener. Gokulam though will play without pressure as the expectation will be on the opposition in their home ground. They had beaten East Bengal earlier in the competition and also during I-League days. Those results could act as a motivation for the Kerala based team to spring an upset here.
EBFC vs GKFC Dream11 Team Prediction
GK: Gill (Cr - 8, Pts - 37)
DEF: Khabra (Cr - 8, Pts - 30), Bouba (Cr - 7.5, Pts - 83) N Kumar (Cr - 8, Pts - 29), Zothanpuia (Cr - 8, Pts - 67)
MID: Sekar (Cr - 9, Pts - 12), B Herrera (Cr - 9, Pts - 29), Crespo (Cr - 8.5, Pts - 19), Perdomo (Cr - 8, Pts - 45)
FW: Bhat (Cr - 8.5, Pts - 22), Siverio (Cr - 8, Pts - 54), Shijin (Cr - 8, Pts - 16)
Vice-captain: Javier Siverio
Captain: Borja Herrera
