Mumbai City FC will take on Bengaluru FC in the final of Durand Cup 2022 at the Salt Lake stadium in Kolkata on Sunday. The game will provide both teams with a chance to win the first trophy of a long football season this year. Bengaluru FC finished runners-up in Group A with wins over Jamshedpur FC and Indian Air Force and draws against FC Goa and Mohammedan SC, and made it through the knockouts with wins over Odisha FC (2-1) and Hyderabad FC (1-0). The Islanders had a near exemplary group stage, as they won 5-1 and 4-1 against Rajasthan United FC and the Indian Navy respectively. Despite their 1-1 draw with ATK Mohun Bagan in the group stages, and their defeat against East Bengal in a match that ended 4-3 they managed to qualify with top spot in Group B at the 2022 Durand Cup.

Des Buckingham's side won their quarter-final tie against Chennaiyin FC 5-3 in a gripping game that went into extra-time. Their semi-final game against Mohammedan SC saw them earn a hard-fought victory in a game that ended 1-0 in favour of the Islanders. Bengaluru FC Head Coach Simon Grayson said his side will keep the focus on themselves ahead of a Durand Cup final against Mumbai FC. "Mumbai are a very good team with strong players who can hurt you in certain areas of the pitch," Grayson said at the pre-match press conference.

Also Read: Erik ten Hag: Ronaldo needs to work hard

"They've got Greg Stewart, who was one of the standout performers in the Hero ISL last year, and some fast players on their flanks. They play a possession-based style of football, so it's a different type of test for us. While we fully respect them and what they can do, we will continue to concentrate on our process and focus on giving them a lot to think about when we are attacking," added Grayson.