Reigning champions Mohun Bagan Super Giant will be taking on the fabled Downtown Heroes of Srinagar in a Group A encounter to kick start the tournament at the Vivekananda Yuba Bharti Krirangan.
Mohun Bagan, record 17-time winners of the Durand Cup, are currently 1.02 favourites to win the opener. Does that mean there’s no room for an upset? Absolutely not.
The odds are firmly stacked against the Heroes, who are currently at only 37.0 to win against Mohun Bagan. While that number seems insurmountable, that’s where Durand Cup’s love for a David and Goliath story comes into play once again.
(All odds courtesy of 1xbet)
Should the Heroes manage to get a result, it will go down as one of the biggest upsets in Durand Cup history. It will also make for an extraordinary payday for anyone backing them.
Golden chance for Downtown Heroes with Mohun Bagan set to field reserves
Mohun Bagan have quite the squad on paper after signing the likes of Lalengmawia Ralte, Jamie Maclaren, Greg Stewart, Tom Aldred and Alberto Rodriguez. However, none of them are expected to feature against the Heroes.
MBSG head coach Jose Molina is also unlikely to be present in the dugout tomorrow. Thus, expect Mohun Bagan to field their reserves along with a few senior players who are currently involved in the ongoing Calcutta Football League.
This presents a golden opportunity for the Downtown Heroes to take advantage. The odds are strongly against them, but that in turn is also the beauty of the situation - they have nothing to lose, yet everything to gain.
The 8.5 Mohun Bagan market worth taking a punt on
Should you choose to play it safe, there are a couple of Mohun Bagan markets worth considering. The reigning champions got their last Durand Cup campaign underway with an impressive 5-0 win against Bangladesh Army FT. Should that trend continue, 1xbet has a couple of odds you could consider.
Currently, Mohun Bagan are 8.5 to win the game by either a 4-0 or a 5-0 margin. Given the lopsided nature of the game, at least on paper, that could be a market worth taking a punt on.
Buoyant after their ISL Shield victory last season, the Kolkata giants will be hopeful of adding a record-extending 18th Durand Cup to their trophy cabinet.
The rise and rise of Downtown Heroes
Despite their relatively short history, Downtown Heroes is a club on the rise. Founded in 2020, the Heroes made their Durand Cup debut last season and participated in the 2022-23 I-League Division 2.
Their focus on nurturing young homegrown talent is a blueprint for potential success in the future. If they continue to maintain their upward trajectory, expect them to see in the upper echelons of Indian football in the not-so-distant future.