East Bengal faces Shillong Lajong in the second quarterfinal of the Durand Cup 2024. The winners will face either Northeast United or Army Red in the semifinals.
SHL vs EBG Match Details
Date: Wednesday, 21 August 2024
Time: 19:00 (IST)
Venue: Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, Shillong
SHL vs EBG Match Preview
East Bengal received a point from the disbanded Kolkata derby with rivals Mohun Bagan and advanced to the quarterfinals of the Durand Cup 2024 as one of the best second-placed teams. The Red and Golds won their two group matches defeating Indian Air Force and Downtown Heroes with a 3-1 scoreline. New signings Madih Talal and Dimitrios Diamantakos found the net although it was Saul Crespo who stole the show scoring in each game including in the 3-2 defeat to Turkemanian outfit FC Altyn Asyr at Salt Lake in the AFC Champions League 2 qualifiers. The defeat in the last game prevented them from entering the tournament but East Bengal will still enjoy continental football as they will now play the AFC Challenge League, the third tier of AFC club competition. Carles Cuadrat's side will be desperate to return to winning ways as they make the trip to Shillong for the Durand Cup quarterfinal tie. The team reached the final last season so repeating the feat with a trophy this hand this time will be a huge morale boost.
Like the Torch Bearers, Shillong Lajong advanced to the last eight unscratched from the group stage. The I-League side topped their group with two wins and a draw with just one goal conceded and four scored. Starkly different performance for the team that finished third with just one win last season. Their confident showing in the Durand Cup 2024 will be a motivating factor before starting the league season in October but the Reds are not satisfied only with knockout qualification. Lajong will face East Bengal in the quarterfinals with the last meeting coming in 2019 when they were thrashed 5-0. The mountainous club has not won this encounter in any competition since 2016 and has not kept a clean sheet in this clash in 11 years. However, their last win against the Kolkata giants came at home which could play a factor as they look to pull off an upset on Wednesday.
SHL vs EBG Predicted Lineups
Shillong Lajong
Manas Dubey; Kenstar Karshong, Aman Ahlawat, Kynsailang Khongsit, Ronny Wilson; Hamedamanbha Wahlang, Wadajied Ryngkhlem, Hardy Cliff; Marcos Silva, Phrangki Buam, Everbrightson Sana
East Bengal
Prabhsukhan Gill; Mohamad Rakip, Hijazi Maher, Lalchungnunga, Mark Zothanpuia; Jeakson Singh, Saul Crespo; Mahesh Singh, Madih Talal, Nandha Kumar; Dimitrios Diamantakos
SHL vs EBG Dream11 Match Prediction
East Bengal should claim victory over Shillong Lajong in the Durand Cup 2024 quarterfinal to progress to the last four. We predict a 2-1 win for the Torch Bearers.
SHL vs EBG Dream11 Top picks
Captain Pick: Saul Crespo
Vice-captain Picks: Madih Talal, Dimitrios Diamantakos
SHL vs EBG Dream11 Team Suggestion
GK: Dubey (Cr - 7.5)
DEF: Karshong (Cr - 9), Maher (Cr - 7.5), Wilson (Cr - 8)
MID: Talal (Cr - 8.5), Crespo (Cr - 9), Ryngkhlem (Cr - 8.5), Zothanpuia (Cr - 7.5)
FW: Sana (Cr - 8), Diamantakos (Cr - 8.5), Mahesh (Cr - 7.5)
Vice-captain: Madih Talal
Captain: Saul Crespo
