Durand Cup 2022 Final: Mumbai City FC vs Bengaluru FC preview, prediction and more
The final of the Durand Cup 2022 will see Mumbai City FC take on Bengaluru FC at the Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan in Kolkata on Sunday, September 18.
Mumbai City FC secured their place in the final after overcoming Mohammedan SC 1-0 in a closely fought encounter thanks to a late goal from Bipin Singh in the closing minutes of the game.
Ahead of the final, Des Buckingham told the media that he expects an interesting fixture when the two in-form teams go head-to-head.
"The game I am expecting is an exciting one," he said. "We've set up the way we want to play and I can speak about it being an exciting brand of football. We've shown that with the number of goals we've scored in this tournament. If you look at the opposition, they've also got a very good run so far. They have some wonderful players as well."
Bengaluru FC, on the other hand, made it through to the final, defeating Hyderabad FC 1-0, who went down after an own goal. The Blues have remained unbeaten throughout the tournament and will look to end their campaign with a laurel.
Speaking about the final, Simon Grayson, Bengaluru FC's head coach, said that the team will look to take all opportunities and that possession is not something to be concerned about in such a big game.
"When it comes to a final, if you can win playing whatever style, you would take that option," he said. "I’ve been part of finals in England where we’ve had much less possession, but won. That’s the most important thing in football. Having said that, we want to get the balance right by attacking well and being more careful with the ball to create as many chances as possible.”
Durand Cup 2022: Mumbai City FC vs Bengaluru FC head
-to-head
The two sides have played each other on 10 occasions in the past, with Mumbai City having won five times to Bengaluru FC's four, with one game ending in a draw. The most recent meeting between the two sides saw Bengaluru FC win the fixture 3-0.
Durand Cup 2022: Mumbai City FC vs Bengaluru FC live streaming details
The Durand Cup 2022 final between Mumbai City FC and Bengaluru FC will be broadcast live on the Sports18-1, Sports18-1 HD and Sports18-Khel channels. The game can also be live streamed on the Voot app and website.
Durand Cup 2022: Mumbai City FC vs Bengaluru FC prediction
There are no clear favorites in a game where both teams will look to get their hands on the first silverware of the 2022-23 season. Both the teams have looked strong in front of goal and will once again test their opponents.
Prediction: Match is likely to go into penalties.