Kings face stern test against wounded Mohun Bagan
Fresh off a 1-0 win over Maziya S&RC in their opening match of the AFC Cup, Bangladesh Premier League champions Bashundhara Kings will look to keep rolling against group favourites Mohun Bagan FC in their Group D match at the Salt Lake Stadium in Kolkata today.
Bashundhara Kings, despite having as many points as group leaders Gokulam Kerala FC after one game, are in second position in their four-team group by virtue of goal difference. The top team will advance to the zonal semifinals.
Before the start of the group matches, Indian Super League outfit Mohun Bagan hogged the limelight and were favourites to top the Group D after a 5-0 rout against Sri Lankan outfit Blue Star and an emphatic 3-1 win over Bangladesh outfit Abahani. But they suffered a massive blow in their tournament opener, losing 4-2 to I-League outfit Gokulam Kerala FC.
Bashundhara Kings coach Oscar Bruzon gave Mohun Bagan their due, but did not consider them superior.
"Mohun Bagan have a squad with great players but we do not consider any club in this competition stronger than us. That is an important part of our mental preparation," Bruzon told The Daily Star over phone yesterday.
"Tomorrow is a do-or-die match for our opponents [Mohun Bagan]. They will have a full house cheering for them, but we hope we can manage that stress. We will go on the field with the intention to win in order to be closer to qualification," the Spanish coach added confidently.
Although Bashundhara Kings got off to a winning start against Maziya S&RC and took a first-half lead, they lost momentum in the second half.
Right-back Tariq Kazi was exposed time and again by the Maldivian outfit's forward line and only the capable interventions of centre-backs Bishwanath Ghosh and Khaled Shafiei ensured Kings kept a clean sheet.
Nevertheless, the pressure on their backline will likely be intensified against Mohun Bagan, who would face a group-stage exit with any result other than a win.
"The numbers say that our team has had more clean sheets and less goals conceded over the past 3 seasons. In the AFC Cup, we have conceded only two goals in five games. All that when we are an attacking team," said Bruzon, who will be hoping Brazilian forwards Robson Robinho and Miguel Ferreira can fire on all cylinders against Mohun Bagan, especially after their last encounter in last edition's AFC Cup ended in a 1-1 draw.
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