Home glory beckons Abahani

Will the MA Aziz Stadium in Chittagong turn blue or red & gold today? We will get the answers after the grand final of the inaugural Sheikh Kamal International Club Cup involving hosts Chittagong Abahani and Kolkata giants East Bengal that kicks off at 7:40pm today. But whoever wins the title of the eight-team event, it will be their first on Bangladesh soil.

While hosts Chittagong Abahani, sporting the famed sky blue shirt and understandably backed by a packed home crowd, will look to win their first major silverware, the red and gold brigade from across the border will want to make the Bangladesh sojourn a memorable one with another memento in an already decorated trophy cabinet.

Although East Bengal have previously won three overseas trophies -- WAI WAI Cup in Nepal (1993), LG Asean Club Cup (2003) and San Miguel Cup (2004) -- they probably have got the best change to make amends to their previous aborting attempts in Bangladesh which included the BTC Cup in Dhaka in 1994.

East Bengal are not carrying a full-strength team as most of their leading players are now featuring in the lucrative ISL, but they still look like the team to beat in the competition with their strong reserves engaged in a healthy competition to prove a point.

However, they will be up against a team hungry to create a small piece of history in their own backyard.

Never having been reckoned a force in domestic football and having only returned to the top-flight in 2013, Chittagong Abahani's performances in the competition has so far have been fantastic. Abahani did lose their opening game against East Bengal 2-1, but since then they beat their more illustrious namesake 1-0 before a 4-2 win against Karachi Electric paved their way to the last four. Their 3-1 win against De Spin Ghar Bazan was testimony to their improvement with every passing game. 

And their East Bengal counterparts, who practised at the Police Lines Ground, were having their last warm-up ahead of today's grand final of the Sheikh Kamal International Club Cup. PHOTOS: ANURUP KANTI DAS

“We said before that we want to stay till the last day of the tournament and we are still here and want to sign off with the trophy,” said Chittagong Abahani coach Shafiqul Islam Manik at a pre-match conference yesterday.

 “The players are fully focused and committed to delivering their best to achieve the target,” added a confident Manik, who will once again rely on winger Zahid Hossain, Nigerian striker Eleta Kingsley, Cameroonian midfielder Yoko Samnick and Mithun Chowdhury to reverse the first round result.

“East Bengal are a strong side who have experience of playing such tournament against a full-house crowd but our players have also the experience of playing the big clubs of Bangladesh,” said the former Bangladesh international.

East Bengal, the only unbeaten team of the tournament, gave a demonstration of their strength by dispatching Dhaka Mohammedan 3-0 in the second semifinal.

Manik's counterpart Biswajit Bhattacharye said though they beat Chittagong Abahani in the first match the hosts are now a more matured side after winning three matches to reach the final.

“We were under pressure to perform well because the club officials and the journalists back home had no hope on this squad. But we have proved them wrong after qualifying for the final. I think we have satisfied you with our performance and I am hopeful that my boys will satisfy you more tomorrow [Friday],” said Biswajit.