Bengaluru FC and Hyderabad FC will rekindle the heat as the two Hero ISL sides lock horns in the second semi-final of the Durand Cup at the Salt Lake Stadium in Kolkata on Thursday.

The Blues ran out 2-1 winners over Odisha FC in their quarterfinal with the help of a late strike by new signing Roy Krishna while Hyderabad FC knocked out Rajasthan United FC in a 3-1 win where Bartholomew Ogbeche had a regular day at the office as he kept his scoring streak intact.

Both sides boast of firepower in all three areas of the pitch, so it will be interesting to see how the coaches set up their respective teams as the final beckons the two teams.

One of the most consistent sides in the competition, Bengaluru FC, are one of just two teams yet to face a defeat in the Durand Cup this year. Simon Grayson’s side have managed to put in some strong and impressive performances making them a big threat in the competition this season.

“It’s going to be a tough game against Hyderabad, who are the side that won the Indian Super League last season. They’re a very talented team with a good strike force that also has last season’s leading goal scorer (Bartholomew Ogbeche). While I’m certain that we will respect them on the pitch, we will continue to focus on ourselves and the trouble we want to cause them,” Grayson said, addressing the media.

The likes of Roy Krishna, Sunil Chhetri and N. Sivasakthi have been unstoppable in front of goal and will be the danger men for Hyderabad in this game, believes HFC Head Coach Manuel Marquez.

“BFC are playing different kinds of systems but they have signed some really good attackers. Krishna and Javi Hernandez are joined by some very good young prospects like Naorem Roshan Singh, Sivasakthi and more making their squad impressive,” said the HFC head coach.

With both teams in search of silverware and a morale-boosting pre-season, we can expect a firecracker of a match at the Salt Lake Stadium.

The semi-final match between Bengaluru FC and Hyderabad FC is scheduled for 6pm IST and will be telecasted live on the Sports18 network, with live streaming available on Voot Select.

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