When playing the Independence Cup final today at Sheikh Fazlul Haque Moni Stadium in Gopalganj against the favorites Bashundhara Kings, a revitalized Mohammedan SC will be hoping to look to the past for inspiration.
T Sports will broadcast the final live from the Fazlul Haque Mani Stadium in Gopalganj, starting at 4:00 p.m.
On paper, reigning champions Kings are the favorites versus Mohammedan. They advanced to their fourth straight final with a decisive 4-0 victory against Abahani.
However, the Motijheel-based team wants to win their first Independence Cup championship in nine years and duplicate their 2-1 victory over the Kings in the Federation Cup quarterfinal in May.
“We are the underdogs and the Bashundhara Kings are a stronger team on paper than the Mohammedans. However, since we defeated them to win the Federation Cup last season, we are not psychologically underdogs. Alfaz Ahmed, the coach of Mohammedan SC, told The Daily Star over the phone yesterday, “We think we can beat them.”
Kings had won eight, lost two, and drew two of the previous twelve encounters between the two teams.
Star-studded Before stepping on all cylinders and defeating Abahahi 4-0 in the semifinal of the Independence Cup, Kings were a shell of their former selves in their first three games.
However, Alfaz asserts that he is unconcerned with the Kings’ threatening appearance.
“They [the Kings] are the greatest in every area, but a lot depends on the circumstances of the game, including the players’ performance, their interpretation of the situation, and their physical state on the day. Thus, we are anticipating the match,”
Mahbubur Rahman Roxy, the Kings’ assistant coach, is confident that his team would maintain its form into the championship game.
Even though we struggled to score in the domestic league, we gave it our all against Abahani. The players will be motivated by the fact that Mohammedan eliminated us from the Federation Cup last season, Roxy said media during their last practice at Kings Arena this morning.
Reeling from their disappointment in the AFC Cup group stage, Kings will be looking to win the first trophy of the season in an attempt to lift the team’s morale.