BENGALURU: Defending champions Karnataka face a tricky start against Delhi in Group B at the 77th National Football Championship for Santosh Trophy at the Golden Jubilee Stadium, Yupia, Itanagar, Arunachal Pradesh, on Thursday.
Karnataka, who won the title in 2023 after 50 years beating Meghalaya in Saudi Arabia, have assembled a squad that is a mix of experience and youth. The focus will be on the team's frontline which boasts of promising youngsters including Bengaluru FC's Rashid CK and Nikhil Raj of FC Agniputhra.
Speaking to TOI, head coach R Ravi Babu exuded guarded optimism. "There will be more pressure as we are the defending champions. But we are confident of doing well and will take one game at a time. First up is Delhi. They will be looking to repeat their last year's performance but we are now champions and we will give them a tough fight," Babu told TOI.
Delhi advanced to the final round topping the qualification group with an unbeaten record, scoring four wins in five matches. They shocked former champions Punjab 1-0 and held West Bengal, who crashed out in the qualifying round, to a goalless draw. In last year's tournament, Delhi had defeated Karnataka 1-0.
A top-4 finish will give the champions a place in the knockout quarterfinals scheduled on March 4 and 5. "We just don't want to settle for a top-4 finish. We are eyeing a top-2 finish in the Group. Otherwise, we will be up against tough opponents in the last-eight encounter," the coach added. Group A includes Services, Kerala and Meghalaya amongst others.
Captain Manoj Swamy Kannan too was confident of a good show. "We are here after a long period of training. I'm confident that we will do well," said Sport Club Bengaluru's Kannan, who is among the 6-7 players of the champion outfit of 2023.
The semifinals are on March 7 and the final is slated for March 9.
Karnataka's Group B matches: Feb 22: vs Delhi (10 am), Feb 24: vs Mizoram (10 am), Feb 26: vs Manipur (7 pm), Feb 29: vs Railways (2.30 pm) & March 2: vs Maharashtra (7 pm).
