Sheikh Russel KC will target nothing but a win in their second and last group match against Korean side Rimyongsu Club in the AFC President’s Cup at the Sugathadasa Stadium in Colombo today as the result will see the Bangladeshi side book a ticket for the dream final.
However, though the players and the coach are confident ahead of the crucial Group B clash, even they know they will face a stern test against their Korean opponents.
The Bengal Blues defeated Mongolian league champions Erchim FC in their opening game by a 1-0 margin while Rimyongsu thrashed the same opponents 5-0. The results of the two games, however, clearly indicate that it would not be an easy task for Russel to expand the history they had written by becoming the first ever Bangladeshi club to qualify for the final round of the President’s Cup.
The Bangladesh Premier League club received a huge boost as coach Jakaria Babu will be able to get the services of forward Shakil Ahmed who has recovered from an injury. The Bengal Blues are likely to adopt the same 4-1-4-1 formation from the last game.
The coach and players watched Rimyongsu’s first match against Erchim on Monday at the stadium which gave them an idea about the opponents they never faced before.
“If we can sort out our mistakes from the first game and become successful in rectifying those errors then it wouldn’t be tough to clinch the victory,” said Babu.
Captain Mithun Chowdhury has only one message to his teammates - win the match for the country. The attacking trio of Mithun, Zahid Hasan Emily and Nigerian forward Kingsley Chigozie, who scored the winning goal against Erchim, will be Babu’s main arsenal to beat the Korean outfits.
