The final round matches of the Santosh Trophy National Football Tournament will begin on the 16th of next month at the Kottapadi ground with the Group A clash between former champions West Bengal and Punjab. The group stage will feature two games a day, day and night. Hosts Kerala will also be on the field on the first day. Kerala will take on Rajasthan at 8 pm at the Manjeri Payyanad Stadium. The final is on May 2. The night matches will be played entirely at Manjeri Payyanad Stadium and the day matches will be played at Malappuram Kottapadi Ground.
Group B matches will start on the 17th. The first match between Odisha and Karnataka will be played at 4 pm at Kottapadi Stadium. The match between Champion Maraya Services and Manipur will be played at Payyanad Stadium at 8 pm. On April 18, Rajasthan will play Meghalaya in Group A at Kottapadi Ground and Kerala will play strong Bengal in Manjeri on April 18. Kerala will play Meghalaya on the 20th and Punjab on the 22nd. All the four matches of Kerala will be played at Payyanad Stadium. That too at eight o’clock at night.
The group matches are until April 25. Two teams from each of the two groups will advance to the last four. The semifinals will be played on April 28 and 29. Venue: Manjeri Payyanad Stadium. Time 8 p.m. The title match will be played on May 2 at Payyanad Stadium. At eight o’clock at night. There will be a total of 23 matches, including 20 at the group level. Ten teams will compete in the final round of the Santosh Trophy in two groups. Group A matches between Kerala, Bengal and Punjab will be tough.
The Bengal-Punjab war on April 16 is very important for Kerala. Kerala will face Rajasthan on the same day. Kerala’s second match is once morest Bengal. The Bengal war is crucial for Kerala’s desire to advance to the semis. In the third match, Kerala will take on Meghalaya and finally Punjab. Kerala has a semi-final chance of beating Rajasthan and Meghalaya and beating either Punjab or Bengal.
English summary;The Santosh Trophy final round matches will be held from the 16th of next month
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