Yesterday, three days before their official arrival, Club Eagles of Maldives arrived in Sylhet to play the in a preliminary fixture of the AFC Cup against Abahani later this week. The match will take place later this week.
Following their victory over Thimphu City of Bhutan in the first match of the Preliminary Round, the Maldivian side will make their second appearance in the AFC Cup. In 2021, they were given a walkover against Abahani because of an issue involving the location. This time, however, they will compete in the tournament.
Since qualifying for the zonal semifinals in 2019, Abahani has been eliminated by either an Indian club or a Maldivian team. In each of the previous three seasons, Abahani was unable to go past the preliminary or play-off obstacles.
It is anticipated that Club Eagles will begin their training today at the Sylhet BKSP facility, whereas Abahani will have their first training session in Sylhet on August 14. Club Eagles currently have five international players on their active roster. The contest is scheduled to take place at Sylhet District Stadium on the 16th of August.
In the meantime, the Bashundhara Kings, winners of the Bangladesh Premier League, are getting ready to embark on their first trip to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to compete in the AFC Champions League. Their departure is scheduled for this morning.
Robson Da Silva, Dorielton Gomes, Miguel Figueira, Asror Gafurov, Shokhrukhbek Kholmatov, Boburbek Yuldashov, and Charles Didier are some of the international players that will be participating in the match against Sharjah FC on August 15 at the Sharjah Stadium. The match will also feature new local signings such as Mohammad Ibrahim, Mojibur Rahman Jonny, and Aminur Rahman Sajib.
The four-time champions of the Bangladesh Premier League will face Iranian side Tractor FC in the play-off stage on August 22 in the event that they are successful in their match against Sharjah FC. Their goal is to advance to the group stage of the competition.