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All to play for as Bengaluru face Bashundhara Kings in Male

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Marco Pezzaiuoli’s Blues Face Bangladesh Premier League Champions In Penultimate Group Stage Clash

Male, Maldives: Bengaluru FC Head Coach Marco Pezzaiuoli maintained there was no pressure on his side as they prepare to face Bangladesh Premier League champions Bashundhara Kings, in their penultimate Group D clash of the 2021 AFC Cup, on Saturday. Kings, who ran out 2-0 winners against Maziya S&RC in their first group stage game, will be eager to get the better of the Blues, who went down to ATK Mohun Bagan by the same scoreline.

An own-goal from Mohammed Irufaan, followed by a strike from Brazilian winger Robinho, sealed three points for Oscar Bruzon’s side in their opening clash against Maziya S&RC. Speaking to the press ahead of the encounter, Blues’ boss Pezzaiuoli said the Bangladeshi side were a force to reckon with, having made light work of their League campaign, which they secured with four games left to play.

“We’re up against a team from Bangladesh that scored 55 goals in the League and are champions. They conceded only nine goals in the League, and won their first group game 2-0. They score a lot of goals and have a strong defence, are compact at the back and counter very well. We might have to change things a little bit because this is our third game. Our plan will be to maybe go backwards a bit and create space behind them to score goals and create chances,” said Pezzaiuoli.

Bashundhara, who made their AFC Cup debut last season in a campaign that was cut short due to the COVID19 pandemic, retained the 2020-21 Bangladesh Federation Cup in January. Pezzaiuoli handed starts to Ajay Chhetri and Naorem Roshan Singh in the clash against ATK Mohun Bagan, while Leon Augustine, Parag Shrivas and Ajith Kumar came off the bench in addition to summer signings Bidyashagar Singh and Danish Farooq.

“In life you cannot be negative. I choose to take the positives from the previous game where we had almost 70% ball possession against ATK Mohun Bagan. I think we only need to improve in certain aspects. There is no pressure. Football is not about pressure. We enjoy the games, and I am sure every team wants to be the number one in the Group. We want to win, and so do Bashundhara Kings. We have worked hard in training, and focused on certain things. We want to better our free-kicks and corners, and create better chances and finish them,” Pezzaiuoli added.

Having made several new foreign signings in Raul Becerra, Jonathan Fernandes, Khaled Shafiei and Robinho (on loan from Fluminense), the Blues will have to be wary of Bashundhara Kings’ attack, with the BPL side scoring as many as 67 goals in all competitions this season.

Kick off between the Blues and Bashundhara Kings at the National Stadium is scheduled for 4.30 pm IST, and will be telecast live on the STAR Sports network, Hotstar and JioTV.

(Bengaluru FC Media)

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AFC Cup

Blues restart AFC Cup qualification bid against Club Eagles in Maldives

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Bengaluru FC players training

Male, Maldives: Bengaluru FC, on Sunday, will resume their bid to qualify for the group stages of the 2021 AFC Cup with a playoff clash against Maldivian side Club Eagles, at the National Stadium, in Male. A win will take Marco Pezzaiuoli’s men into Group D of the continental competition, where ATK Mohun Bagan, Bashundhara Kings and Maziya S&RC await.

Bengaluru, who made it through the Preliminary Stage Two with a comprehensive 5-0 win against Tribhuvan Army FC, landed in the Maldives earlier this week and began preparations for the clash. Should the Blues see off the Eagles, they will face ATK Mohun Bagan in their opening clash of Group D on Wednesday, August 18th.

“It’s not an easy situation to play in. This is the second time we are preparing for this game. We had a good four-week preparation at the Inspire Institute of Sport in Bellary, where we stayed in a bubble. It was a great facility with a fantastic ground, and now we are here in Maldives in another bubble,” said Pezzaiouli, speaking at the pre-match press conference.

The Blues have registered seven new signings in their AFC Cup squad, including defenders Alan Costa and Yrondu Musavu-King, while four more players from the club’s developmental squad have also made the cut.

“We are missing a few players for the game against Club Eagles. Prince Ibara has an infection and he hasn’t joined the team, Edmund Lalrindika has a back injury and Harmanpreet Singh has a muscle issue. I have 26 players available for selection and we want to make it to the next stage of this competition,” he added.

Eagles, in their maiden AFC Cup campaign, made their way to the playoff round of the competition owing to Abahani Dhaka’s withdrawal. Head Coach Mohaamed Shaazly’s side had progressed through the Preliminary Stage One with a 2-0 win over Thimphu City, courtesy goals from Hassan Ahmed and Mohammed Naim. In their recently concluded League season, Eagles finished fourth, with four wins, five defeats and five draws.

“We’re really thankful that we can finally play a match, and we are really looking forward to the game. We are just focusing on our team, and as players we are all eager to fight for a place in the first XI and give our coach a selection headache. After last season’s defeat to Maziya, we weren’t feeling well because we didn’t give our best. But this is a new campaign and we will strive to do our best,” said Blues’ skipper Sunil Chhetri.

Kick-off between the Blues and Club Eagles at the National Stadium, in Maldives, is at 8.30 PM IST.

(Bengaluru FC Media)

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