Abahani off to face Mohun Bagan

Bangladesh Premier League champions Abahani will be leaving for Kolkata this morning to take on Mohun Bagan in their second group match of the AFC Cup on Tuesday.

Having suffered a 2-0 defeat against Maziya Sports and Recreation Club of Maldives in their opening match in Dhaka last month, the Sky Blues will be looking to turn the tide when they take on the Kolkata giants at the Rabindra Sarobar Stadium.

However, the Dhanmondi giants are hamstrung by a shortage of foreign players. They will miss the services of defensive stalwart Samad Yussif due to passport issues, which means they will be able to field only two foreigners against Mohun Bagan's four.

Team manager Satyajit Das Rupu, though, has confidence on the other defenders.

“We needed Samad for this match. Nasiruddin Chowdhury will play in his position,” Rupu said. “We are expecting a competitive match because both teams are evenly balanced. Both teams have started with defeats and need a win to stay in the competition.”

Mohun Bagan, too, will come into the match without any points as they lost their opening fixture against Bengaluru FC 2-1.

Despite that, Rupu is keeping Mohun Bagan ahead of his side for this crucial fixture. “They have the advantage of playing four foreigners while we will only have two. They also have home advantage. However, we will try to do our best,” he said.