Pune FC ‘A’ begins its All India Kalinga Cup campaign against Punjab’s Dalbir Football Academy in the quarterfinal round at the Barabati Stadium in Cuttack on Sunday.
One of the most prestigious competitions in the state of Odisha, the Kalinga Cup features top teams from all over the country and will be the third All-India meet Pune FC ‘A’ participate in this season and have been seeded directly into the quarters.
Interestingly, this will be the second time Pune FC play in the Kalinga Cup since the club’s inception. The first appearance in the competition in January 2008 was also the first time Pune FC played as a professional team since the official launch.
Back then, Pune FC beat Assam State Electricity Board via tie-breaker in the prequarters, before going down to Vasco SC in the quarterfinal.
Speaking after reaching Cuttack on Friday morning, coach Naushad Moosa said, “It’s a great opportunity for our players to showcase their talent against big clubs like Air India, ONGC and Mohammedan Sporting among others. The competition will give a good exposure to our players ahead of the Under-19 I-League.”
However, having suffered quarterfinal round exits in the previous two All-India Tournaments – the 63rd Bordoloi Trophy in Guwahati and the 15th Gorkha Gold Cup in Darjeeling – Pune FC will be hoping for a better show this time around.
“The players are in good shape and confident to play a good brand of football. We will be giving our best and hope for a positive result,” added Moosa.
Having been seeded directly into the quarters, the 18-man Pune FC ‘A’ squad features seventeen players from the Under-19 set up, along with young winger Subashish Bose from the senior team.