Bengaluru FC will need a big slice of luck to progress as the final round of group games in the 2018 AFC Cup get underway on Wednesday.
BFC (12 points) will take on Abahani Limited Dhaka at the Bangabandhu National Stadium here, while a struggling Aizawl FC meets New Radiant SC (12) in the other Group E fixture.
Albert Roca’s men need a win while hoping Aizawl claims a point or more against the Maldivian side to stand a chance of qualifying for the knockout stages of the Cup.
New Radiant merely needs to match BFC’s result, as it will prevail in a head-to-head comparison.
“It’s true that we are in a position where a win may not be enough to qualify, but it has been made clear to the players that we have to remain focused on the task ahead,” said Roca.
Earlier in the season, BFC had beaten Abahani 1-0 at the Sree Kanteerava Stadium, while on their only previous visit to Dhaka, Roca’s men had lost 2-0 last year. Abahani are out of contention for a knock-out berth, having won just one of five games so far.
Bengaluru will be without winger Boithang Haokip, who suffered a late injury, while right-back Nishu Kumar has joined the team from Kolkata where he was in action for the club’s reserve squad in the 2nd Division League.
The game in Dhaka kicks off at 7.15 p.m. local time (6.45 p.m. IST) and can be streamed live on the AFC Cup Facebook page.
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