Bengal to lock horns with Manipur while Kerala faces Chandigarh on the opening day of 72nd Santosh Trophy final stage

Santosh Trophy

72nd Santosh Trophy kicks off today,here,in Kolkata, as the 32 time champion West Bengal will be squaring off against dark horse of the tournament, Manipur in group A; while Kerala will kick off against Chandigarh in another group A fixture.

The city of Joy has hosted the tournament on nine occasions and every time Bengal have won with flying colours. However, this time the defending champions are wary of “lack of preparation” as conceded by coach Ranjan Chowdhury.

In a country of 125 crore people,the mini powerhouse , Manipur with a population of 27 lakh,has contributed immensely towards Indian Football by providing plenty of quality players for the recently held FIFA U-17 World Cup. They are back again  in the this edition of the Santosh Trophy 2018;  with an aim to win it for the 2nd time with a horde of talented players facing current champions West Bengal who will try to keep up with their perennial record in their first opening match  on Monday at the Sailen Manna stadium in Howrah; after the qualifiers which took place earlier this month.

There is immense pressure on the  West Bengal team led by captain Jiten Murmu who will be looking  forward to make a mark by defending  the title for the 33rd time .The ordeal that the West Bengal team faced was discouraging.Despite several shortcomings like last minute additions,poor ground conditions and lack of training sessions in the team ,head coach Ranjan Choudhury is confident and positive about the fact that the usual favourites will make it to the final stages with whatever facilities that are available.

While it will be a battle of supremacy in Howrah, Rabindra Sarobar Stadium will witness a battle of nerves when a sublime Chandigarh meets another “Santosh Giant” Kerala. All eyes will be on the prolific youngster KP Rahul as Kerala would look to overcome the mediocrity crisis they are being slammed about as they will be eyeing their 6th glory this year.

It will be an interesting day as both the clashes will be typically significant in this group which is deemed as the group of death along with the likes of Maharashtra another favourite waiting in the fray.Both the matches will kick-off at 3pm.

Group A: Bengal, Chandigarh, Manipur, Kerala and Maharashtra                                        Group B: Goa, Mizoram, Odisha, Punjab and Karnataka.

Opening day’s fixtures: Manipur vs Bengal (Howrah Maidan)
                                                  Chandigarh vs Kerala (Rabindra Sarovar).
Time- 3.00pm (IST)

SSE BFC to conduct trials for U9 to U17 age group players

SSE BFC Soccer School will be conducting fresh trials this month for players aged below 17 to be part of their football program SSE BFC Soccer Schools is a football…

Share

India Khelo Football Season 3 Trials for Mumbai and Thane are here

India Khelo Football (IKF) is back with Season 3 of its widely acclaimed trials with an aim to cover more than 50 cities this time around. After the resounding success…

Share

Mastering the Art of Football Trials: Key Pre-Trial Factors to Keep in Mind

Football trials are a critical juncture for aspiring players to showcase their skills and secure a spot in a team. To maximize your chances of success, it’s essential to tailor your approach based on your playing position as well as keeping in mind a few pre-trial factors.

Share

Somaiya Sports Academy to conduct trials for MFA 2nd Division campaign

Somaiya Sports Academy is looking for passionate young football players for the Somaiya Sports Academy Football Team to compete in the MFA 2nd Division League 2023-2024. If selected, you will…

Share

BFC Soccer Schools – Mumbai to conduct trials for U14 & U16 Girls

The BFC Soccer Schools Elite team girls’ trials are coming up in search of talented players from the U14 to U16 (Born 2009 and after) age groups into the club’s…

Share

Opportunity to make the team: U.K.M. Kothrud FC conducts selection trials for girls team

Pune-based U.K.M. Kothrud FC has announced that they will be conducting selection trials for their girl’s team on 15th January 2023 The club welcomes all players to come and showcase…

Share

The Sunday Football League Season 4 is back

The Sunday Football League is back with its fourth season, and it’s shaping up to be the best one yet. With eight talented teams competing at the Kes Kandivali turf, there…

Share

BFC Soccer Schools Elite team trials in Feb

Bengaluru FC launched their Mumbai program last season with the Soccer Schools and Elite programs with its local partner Soccer Schools of Excellence (SSE).  Bengaluru Football Club is a professional club…

Share

India Khelo Football Season 2 Trials in Mumbai: A Chance to Kickstart Your Football Career

After conducting trials in 34 cities & villages across India, India Khelo Football is coming to Mumbai to hunt talent on 7th January. India Khelo Football kickstarted its season 2…

Share

Mumbai Customs to conduct trials for Elite League

Former champions Mumbai Customs will be holding open trials for the upcoming MFA Elite Corporate League (Elite Division) The 2019 MFA Elite Division champions Mumbai Customs are conducting open trials…

Share