Tough tests await Abahani in play-offs
Last edition’s inter-zonal semifinalists Abahani were handed a tough test in the preliminary round of the AFC Cup as the draw was held at the AFC headquarters in Kuala Lumpur yesterday.
Six-time Bangladesh Premier League champions Abahani will feature in the South Asia Zone and first take on Maziya S&RC of Maldives on a home-and-away basis on February 5 and 12.
If they win, Abahani will advance to the play-off ties on February 19 and 26, where they will meet the winner of the game between JSW Bengaluru FC of India and either Paro United of Bhutan or Defenders FC of Sri Lanka. The latter two will play a preliminary match beforehand.
The winners from the play-offs will join Chennai FC/Goa FC of India, Bashundhara Kings of Bangladesh and TC Sports of Maldives in the group stages of Asia’s second-tier club competition.
Abahani coach Mario Lemos believes the AFC Cup campaign will be tougher this time around as his side have to overcome the hurdles of the play-off round to reach the group stage, which the Sky Blues played directly last time. They had then reached the zone semifinals ahead of one Nepalese and two Indian outfits.
“Any game in the AFC Cup is tough but last season we gained confidence and experience. We believe we can repeat what we did. But we need to go game by game,” the Portuguese told The Daily Star, adding that the upcoming season’s curtain-raising Federation Cup would help them before playing in the preliminary round.
Bangladesh Premier League champions Bashundhara Kings will play directly in the group stages this time as league champions and are looking forward to their debut season.
“Indian outfits are big rivals in the South Asia Zone although Abahani overcame them in previous editions to go past the group stage. Our observation is that they are not so strong that we can’t do better against them. Our main target is to go past the group stage,” said Bashundhara Kings president Imrul Hasan.
Hasan also expects that Abahani will qualify for the group stage and boost the chances of Bangladeshi outfits.
“If there are two Bangladeshi outfits in the group stage, then Bangladeshi clubs have a good possibility of qualifying for the zonal semifinals. So, the players will get a chance to play against big opponents and get exposure,” added Hasan, who believes they have a balanced side with the inclusion of quality foreigners.
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