Jamshedpur, Aug 16 (IANS) As the knockout wagon shifts to Jamshedpur, a confident home side Jamshedpur FC will face debutants Diamond Harbour FC in the third quarterfinal of the Durand Cup which will kick off in the JRD Tata Sports Complex. Jamshedpur FC qualified for the quarterfinals as winners of Group C while Diamond Harbour FC squeezed through as one of the best second placed teams.

Under interim head coach Steven Dias, who stepped up following Khalid Jamil’s elevation to the national team, Jamshedpur are not just tactically sharp but also deeply motivated. Dias lauds the seamless transition and credits the roaring home crowd for fuelling the team’s momentum.

Coach Dias is clear about the team’s approach, saying, “Tomorrow we face Diamond Harbour FC for the first time, and we know they are a strong side, unbeaten in their last 23 matches. We must stay cautious and focused. My boys are ready. We have trained well and prepared for this challenge. Playing at our home ground is always special, and I request all our fans to come and support us. We will give everything on the pitch to win this match and secure our place in the next round.”

While Jamshedpur enter the contest on the back of a flawless group stage campaign, with a 3-2 win over Tribhuvan Army FC, 1-0 win over Indian Army Football Team and a 2-0 victory over 1 Ladakh FC while Diamond Harbour FC started the group stage campaign with a 2-1 victory over Kolkata giant Mohammedan SC before running riot over Border Security Force with a 8-1 victory but suffered a 1-5 defeat to Mohun Bagan Super Giant. In the end, a goal difference of +4 was enough for the debutants to occupy their place in this knockout fixture.

The team from Diamond Harbour have been a revelation this season, arriving at the Durand Cup with an unbeaten run that stretched to 23 consecutive matches across competitions.

Their head coach Kibu Vicuna exuded confidence ahead of the contest, “We didn’t get the desired result in our last match, but that is part of football. What matters is that we learn from our mistakes, stay focused, and give our full concentration to the next game. We know it will be a tough challenge against JFC, who are an ISL team with quality players. However, we are determined not to let our journey end in the quarter-finals. The boys have trained hard, prepared well, and we will give everything to achieve the result we want tomorrow.”

For Steven Dias’ Jamshedpur FC, the challenge is twofold sustaining their own winning rhythm while finding ways to break down a side that thrives on collective grit and determination. Jamshedpur will count on their home advantage, tactical discipline, and fan support, but they know they cannot afford to underestimate a Diamond Harbour outfit that has shown remarkable fearlessness and hunger on the big stage.

Jamshedpur FC will rely on their balanced Indian group which consists of their experienced captain Pronay Haldar and Ashutosh Mehta, youngsters like Praful Kumar Y.V, Vincy Baretto, Nikhil Barla, Ritwik Das and Mohammad Sanan and with Japanese attacker Rei Tachikawa also joining the squad, they look to finish the job in front of their home crowd and make their way into the semi-finals.

Diamond Harbour start striker Clayton Silva is doubtful for this important match due to injury, but they have an abled back up in the experienced Luka Majcen, who has already scored four goals in the tournament and will be ably supported by Jobby Justin and Girik Khosla and also have the experienced Halicharan Narzary and NaroHari Shrestha who can be called up when needed. The defence led by Spaniard Mikel Kortazar and Melroy Assisi, who are up for the task against Jamshedpur and will be aware of the set-piece-heavy attacking of the home side.

–IANS

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