Abahani, MSC face off today
After two years the country's most bitter rivals --Abahani and Mohammedan SC—will once again face off in a crucial Green Delta Insurance Premier Hockey League encounter at the Maulna Bhasani Hockey Stadium today.
The two teams are currently tied for second place in the 12-team table with 24 points from eight matches, just three shy from league leaders Dhaka Mariner Young's Club, who however have played a game more.
Though this encounter's outcome may have an impact on the title race, the match-up itself has drawn the publics attention, especially since Mohammedan SC skipped the season's curtain-raising Club Cup tournament, which Abahani won by beating Dhaka Mariner Young's Club.
“It is a 50-50 match because both teams have been performing well on the pitch,” Mohammedan coach Moududur Rahman Shuvo said. “But, we consider Mohammedan ahead of Abahani because of performance. If we want to stay in the title race, we must obtain points from the match.”
While Abahani coach Mahbub Harun said, “A psychological thing always works in the match between Abahani and Mohammedan. The team who can hold their nerve will come out successful.”
When comparing the two sides, Abahani seem ahead in terms of local players but Mohammedan have a few quality foreign recruits.
In the last meeting between the two, Abahani beat Mohammedan 4-2 in a Super League fixture in 2016 after both teams played out a 2-2 draw in their first match of the competition.
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