Gopalganj all set for top-flight football

The Bangladesh Premier League returns to Gopalganj for the first time this season with the country's fifth top-flight venue, Sheikh Fazlul Haque Moni Stadium, all set to host the 18th round, starting from Thursday. Bottom-placed Uttar Baridhara Club will take on fellow strugglers Team BJMC at 3pm - the first professional football match to be held in the southern part of the country. Bangladesh Football Federation added Gopalganj as the fifth venue after the first phase. Following 17 rounds of action at four different venues – Dhaka, Chittagong, Mymensingh and Sylhet – only one round, meaning six matches, will now be played in Gopalganj before the league moves back to Dhaka. With only five more rounds left, the upcoming matches are going to be crucial for the leading and bottom sides. The title race is pretty much a two-horse race now between the two Abahanis. Abahani Limited (39 points) sit comfortably at the top of the 12-team points table with a five-point lead over their namesake, Chittagong Abahani (34). Abahani will face Mohammedan Sporting Club in the season's last Dhaka derby this Tuesday - the last game to be held in Gopalganj.