We’re using the Durand Cup for AFC Champions League preparation: MCFC’s Des Buckingham

ISL Shield champions Mumbai City FC registered a thumping 5-0 victory against Jamshedpur FC in their second group stage match of the 2023 Durand Cup at the Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan in Kolkata on Tuesday. Earlier, the Islanders had won against Mohammedan SC by 3-1 in the opening game of the tournament.

The team’s head coach Des Buckingham is delighted with the team’s solid start and said they are using the Durand Cup as a preparation platform for the all-important AFC Champions League.

“I am happy with the result, (we won) with a 5-0 scoreline anyway. We had a game two days ago and it was only our second competitive game of the season. So we had a plan around making sure we got more minutes into certain players, but also giving opportunities to other players in our squad,” Buckingham said after the match.

Mumbai City FC is all set to represent the country for the second time in this season’s AFC Champions League. Earlier, the Islanders had made their debut in the tournament in the 2021-22 season, in which they won two matches to finish in second place in the group stage.

“I spoke earlier about using the Durand Cup to prepare us for the AFC Champions League. I’m happy with the minutes and the performance of the players who started but it’s important to test the depths of our squad to give other players minutes and opportunities to showcase what they can do. They were a large reason as to why we were successful last year, whether they started or finished the game, and it’s going to be the case this season too,” stated the Islanders’ head coach.

Meanwhile, Mumbai City FC have won both of their matches in the Durand Cup and look all set to qualify for the knockout stages.

The Islanders were at their best in the previous season of the ISL as they had remained unbeaten in the first 18 matches of the league stage. However, they were knocked out by Bengaluru FC in the semifinal.