Inspired by their thrilling win in the semifinal, Army XI look for their maiden title in 12 years as they take on BSF, Jalandhar in the final of the 110th Indian Oil All India Beighton Cup hockey tournament in Kolkata on Wednesday.
Led by Olympian Ignace Tirkey, the Army men are all geared up after the 4-3 win against formidable Indian Oil on Monday.
"We expect to put up a good show in the final. The players are fit and pepped up after the exciting win against Indian Oil," said Army coach Gopal Chand.
The absence of Punjab and Sind Bank, the champions in the last edition as also the recent senior nationals in Hyderabad, increased the winning chances of the Army outfit.
After having reached the final for successive years, Army XI may finally win the title for the first time since 1993, when they completed a hat-trick of triumphs.
"Both the teams are almost on par. The performance on the particular day will decide the winners," Chand said.
BSF, Jalandhar, had slight advantage in terms of their experience on grass.
While team manager Bhupinder Singh sounded cautious even after yesterday's convincing 3-0 win against Punjab Police, the last year's semifinalists were banking on skipper Habil Topno, in-form strikers Marianus Lakra and Devender Kumar to strike it rich.
Neither of the rivals have any major injury problems.
