New Delhi, Aug 2 (IANS) The 134th Durand Cup reaches the half-way mark of the group stages on Sunday and fans will also get a look at all participating teams on the day with Indian Super League side and former I-League champions Punjab FC, taking the field in Kokrajhar.

Ahead of that evening game against local Assamese side Karbi Anglong Morning Star FC who will play for pride after going down in both their earlier Group D matches, a key Group A clash between Namdhari FC and the Indian Air Force Football Team takes place at Kolkata’s Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan (VYBK), making it a Super footballing Sunday, in the truest sense.

The clash in Kolkata, pits I-League side Namdhari against a gritty Indian Air Force side and both teams will go all out for a win, before facing the in-form local giants Emami East Bengal FC in their respective final group matches.

Namdhari have looked disciplined and organised under coach Harpreet Singh and have warmed up with a facile 2-0 win over Bengaluru’s South United FC before going into the Sunday clash. The Airmen were impressive in their resolve to come from behind against the same side, however having managed only a point after a thrilling 3-3 draw, have their task cut out.

A good performance will also help both sides in gaining confidence and momentum ahead of the clash with East Bengal.

Later at Kokrajhar’s SAI stadium, fans will get a first look at how prepared Punjab FC are for their third successive Durand Cup campaign, when they take on Karbi Anglong Morning Star FC, in what will be the former’s first and probably in the latter’s final game of the campaign.

Having gone down to Mohun Bagan Super Giants in the quarters via a sudden death penalty shoot-out last time around, the team from Mohali, will certainly look to go better this time around.

Greek coach Panagiotis Dilmperis’ has let go off quite a few performers from last season and goes into the Durand Cup campaign with an all Indian side. The squad does however have a healthy mix of experience and youth with the likes of Vinit Rai, Suresh Meetei and Nikhil Prabhu, among others having been retained. Prabhu has been announced as the captain for the Durand Cup.

Speaking ahead of the match, Punjab FC Head Coach Panagiotis Dilmperis said, “This is a very important competition for us. We are excited to begin our season with a team full of young Indian talent. Most of the players have trained together for a while, and this is a chance for them to showcase their quality. We respect every opponent and will approach the match with focus and intensity.”

Karbi Anglong Morning Star FC on the other hand have always scored first in both their games, but have gone down eventually in both of them as well and will be desperate for a win which will at least technically make them survive in the tournament for the time being.

Given the context, both the Sunday matches are expected to be entertaining and hotly contested.

–IANS

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