Dhaka Abahani will desperately try to get off the hook with a win in their AFC President’s Cup qualifiers opener against Three Star Club of Nepal. The group A match will be played at the Dasrath Stadium, Kathmandu at 6pm BST today. The traditional giants had a disastrous domestic season as they failed to defend their Bangladesh Premier League title while they also failed to win any other trophy. The four-time BPL champions are looking to leave their misery behind and start off fresh in the Himalayan state. “It’s a new day and a new match, forget the past, look forward positively. This is the last chance to show your calibre and do something for the club and the country,” was the message to the players from Abahani manager Satyajit Das Rupu during their final practice session at the Army ground yesterday. Abahani have fond memories of beating TSC 3-0 in the final of the Bordoloi Cup at Guwahati in 2010, but Rupu was not interested to focus on the past. “Three Star will be playing in their own yard and they have got two good foreign strikers, but we are not worried, we are confident that if we can put our plans right we will win the match,” said the former national midfielder. The Sky Blues will get services from only two of their five foreign recruits in Cameroonian holding midfielder Yoko Samnik and their old warhorse Awudu Ibrahim. Meanwhile, left-back Atikur Rahman Mishu is still nursing his foot injury and looks uncertain. Abahani will, however, hold the advantage of having ten players who have experience in playing at the Dasrath a few months ago. Some played for the Under-23 team, that toured Nepal back in November 2012, while the others have played for the national team in the AFC Challenge Cup in March. Iranian coach Ardeshir Pournemat wants to take on the qualifiers as an opportunity to develop themselves and to figure out ways to bring improvement in the team. "We are here to challenge. This kind of qualifier is the best platform to develop, better time to understand others and see how we have improved. We have seven national team players and two foreign players. So, we are a balanced team." Commenting upon the match against hosts Ardeshir was realistic, "First match is always important and difficult. We will go to the field aiming to win. We want to be careful against hosts’ team.” After registering a victory in a recently held exhibition match against visitors McDowells Mohun Bagan, TSC coach Pradip Humagain was confident. “We have a perfect team which has already shown colour in the recent friendly match played against Mohun Bagan. After that match, we did a case study. Those who didn't play in that match are now fit for the qualifiers. So, it is positive sign for us." "In the past, Nepalese Club (NPC) had beaten Abahani 4-0 in President's Cup. We are also a strong team in the qualifiers,” said the Three Star coach.
Wednesday, March 19, 2025
