‘Out-of-reach’ Abahani play in April 25’s den
Six-time time Bangladesh Premier League champions Abahani will hope to make a piece of history by making it to the inter-zone final of AFC Cup when they play against April 25 SC of North Korea in the crucial second-leg of semifinal playoffs at the Kim Il Sung Stadium in Pyongyang today.
Following a thrilling 4-3 win in the first leg at home, Abahani need a draw to get the better of their North Korean counterparts to become the first Bangladeshi club to book a place in the inter-zone final.
However, the Sky Blues will face an uphill task on the astro-turf in Pyongyang, a surface the Bangladeshi players are not used to playing on too often. The 18-time North Korean league champions are apparently hungry after the away-match defeat as they are expected to come hard on Abahani to make it to the inter-zone final for the second time in three seasons after losing to Bengalurur FC 3-0 on aggregate in the semifinals last season.
Abahani will obviously take inspiration from their stunning performance in the first leg and will also draw courage from Bengaluru FC’s goalless draw against April 25 in Pyongyang last edition.
Ahead of the crucial tie, the Sky Blues were, however, out of reach due to communication difficulties since flying out for Pyongyang via China on early Sunday. Abahani’s assistant manager Tanvir Ahmed informed that they could not communicate with the team.
Tanvir, however, informed that team manager Sattyajit Das Rupu talked to his son over phone for a minute on Tuesday afternoon, informing that the team reached Pyongyang safely and were doing well.
It was not possible to learn about the team’s strategy or preferred eleven regarding today’s game, but as per information received prior to their departure, the Sky Blues may bring a couple of changes in the starting eleven from the first leg, with Egyptian defender Alaaeldin Nasr Elsayed Eissa, who missed the first leg due to suspension, likely to start while midfielder Mamunul Islam is likely to return too, subject to his availability for selection.
Abahani coach Mario Lemos had earlier told The Daily Star that he believes the club can reach the inter-zone final by producing a good result in the away match.
“I think it [playing the inter-zone final] is possible. We know it is going to be a very hard match. April 25 will come back even stronger. We made some mistakes in the last game that we want to fix; there is always room to improve with the way we play. I believe it will be very important for us to score in away match,” Lemos said.
“The strategy will be similar. Maybe more caution and less risk because we have a slight advantage going into this match. We still believe we cannot just defend; we also need to attack and create chances through counter-attack and hopefully get a goal. The attitude of the players must be the same and we are just one step away from the final,” the Portuguese coach added.
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