Bengaluru FC (BFC) will have to hit the ground running, when it takes on Transport United in the second leg of their AFC Cup preliminary stage tie here on Tuesday.
Having been held to a goalless draw by the Bhutan club in the first leg, BFC requires a win to progress to the next round. BFC fielded a young team – sans stars like Sunil Chhetri, Erik Paartalu, Juanan, Udanta Singh and goalkeeper Gurpreet Singh – at Thimphu, which no doubt allowed Transport United that much extra room to breathe.
READ: BFC held to goalless draw in AFC Cup
Now presented with a must-win situation, a few of the seniors are likely to make a return. If this is the case, Transport United – the team is primarily comprised of semi-professionals - is faced with a mountain to climb. The might of a full-strength BFC unit was on display a few days ago, when Chhetri and Juanan scored in BFC's 2-1 victory against NorthEast United in an Indian Super League (ISL) fixture here.
Head Coach Albert Roca explained that he will not make wholesale changes to the eleven, “There is no doubt that we have to take advantage of the players available in our squad. But then, we have to keep our trust in the youngsters who played in the first leg too,”
he said.
Transport United forward Kencho Tobgay said that he is excited to take on the big names. “We will be very happy if the BFC stars are on the field. They are very talented. We can learn so much from them. Even if we lose the match, we will win in our footballing education,” Tobgay said.
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