Abahani, a six-time winner of the Bangladesh Premier League (BPL), will take on Mohun Bagan SG in the AFC Cup’s play-off match today in Kolkata with the goal of moving on to the group round.
The game is set to start at 7:30 pm (Bangladesh Standard Time) at the Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan, also known as Salt Lake Stadium.
After defeating Club Eagles of the Maldives 2-1 in the preliminary second round last week in Sylhet, Abahani kept their sights on the group stage. Mohun Bagan, the ISL winners, are alarmingly tall and stand in Abahani’s way.
The well-known team from Kolkata advanced to this round by defeating Machhindra FC of Nepal 3-1. The team previously overcame Abahani 3-1 in the play-off last season before thrashing Bashundhara Kings, the BPL winners, 4-0 in the group stage to win the South Asian zone.
Further back, the 2017 AFC Cup group stage saw the two teams clash. Although Abahani was able to draw the following game, Mohun Bagan enjoyed a comfortable 3-1 triumph. In the Durand Cup, Mohun Bagan recently defeated Bangladesh Army Football Team 5-0, showing their strength this year.
Coach Mario Lemos of Abahani, who has been in charge of the Dhanmondi-based team since 2018, is well aware of how aggressive Mohun Bagan can be toward his players.
“We are really respectful to Mohun Bagan and are aware of their virtues. Before starting the first practice in Kolkata, Lemos texted The Daily Star, “As a team, we shall try our absolute best.
They are a powerful attacking team that produces lots of chances and frequently places players in the penalty area. They must be able to be stopped by us. Otherwise, that will significantly alter the outcome of the game,” the 38-year-old Portuguese player added.
After arriving in Kolkata early yesterday morning, Lemos had only one session to prepare his players for the important match. In contrast to their previous match, which was played in unplayable conditions in front of a sizable home crowd in Sylhet, Abahani will be under tremendous strain against Mohun Bagan, who will be helped by players from Australia and Spain.
With the six foreigners Stuart Cornelius and Danilo Augusto struck against Club Eagles, Abahani will undoubtedly rely on them. Lemos thinks that having six international players on the field will strengthen them.
The Abahani coach, who is likely to play three foreign defenders to neutralize Mohun Bagan, stated that he believes fielding six foreign players will help the team and make it a little more solid and physically stronger.
After being the South Asian zone champions in 2019 to go to the inter-zonal semifinals of the AFC Cup, Abahani was unable to get past the preliminary round or play-off stage in the following three seasons. Lemos responded, “I see it more the other way, I see the opposition teams we faced have been strong teams. When asked what flaws prevented Abahani from making it into the group stage in the previous three editions, Lemos said, “I see it more the other way. Sometimes the outcome of a game versus a powerful squad does not go your way.
The ISL, “where a lot of big players are coming to play and the Indian local players also grow in stature,” was another factor in the advancement of Indian teams, according to Abahani manager Satyajit Das Rupu on Sunday. Time will now tell if Abahani can do the seemingly impossible.