East Bengal are set to field their U19 side for the upcoming Durand Cup which is slated to start from August 2.
The juniors under the guidance of coach Ranjan Bhattacharya will start practicing from Wednesday at the club ground whereas, the senior team will continue their sessions at the training pitch of the Salt Lake Stadium. Alejandro Menendez will set foot in Kolkata in a couple of days and will prepare his troops for the Calcutta Football League and the AIFF Super Cup.
The five Indian Super League (ISL) sides ATK, Chennaiyin FC, Bengaluru FC, Jamshedpur FC, and FC Goa are also set to give an opportunity to their reserve squads to gain some game time. Most of their overseas players are scheduled to arrive in India in late August and the teams will hit the training pitch only after that.
But, Mohun Bagan and Mohammedan Sporting are likely to stick to plan and field their strongest eleven in Durand.
In 1940 Mohammedan became the first Indian club to win the tournament. But the Kolkata giants East Bengal and Mohun Bagan are the most successful teams in the history of the competition, winning it 16 times apiece.
