Durand Cup | NorthEast United aims for maiden crown as Mohun Bagan looks to extend its title count

Mohun Bagan and NorthEast United FC face off in the Durand Cup final, with contrasting paths to the title clash.

Defending champion Mohun Bagan Super Giant will seek to extend its record haul of 17 titles when it takes on the first-time finalist NorthEast United FC in the 133rd Durand Cup final at the Salt Lake Stadium here on Saturday.

It will be a historic moment for both contestants as NorthEast United strives to win its maiden crown while Mohun Bagan, which has claimed the trophy a record 17 times, looks to add another one to its impressive tally.

The road to the final has been contrasting for the finalists. NorthEast United rode on a series of confident performances that saw it win all its five outings since the group stage in regulation time. Mohun Bagan on the other hand managed to avert defeats with late equalisers and then won both the quarterfinal and the semifinal via penalty shootouts. 

In terms of form, NorthEast United has definitely been more efficient. It sailed past all its opponents with comparative ease, scoring a total of 16 goals while conceding just one.

Despite investing hugely on a number of high-profile acquisitions this season — both in the squad and also in the coaching staff — Mohun Bagan appears to be a team still in the building process. Its new head coach Jose Molina admitted that the team is still in the pre-season build-up process and needs time to get a settled look.

With names like Greg Stuart, Dimitri Petratos, Jason Cummings, Manvir Singh, Anirudh Thapa, Liston Colaco and Apuia in its ranks, Mohun Bagan will be hoping to see its attack getting its act together while cutting down on the defensive errors that cost it in the previous two matches.

NorthEast United head coach Juan Pedro Benali said that his team has nothing to lose and will try to bring out its best and win its first major trophy since its inception.