Sparks are expected to fly when traditional Dhaka archrivals Abahani Limited and Mohammedan Sporting Club clash against each other today in the Bangladesh Premier Football League at the Bangabandhu National Stadium. An encounter between Abahani and Mohammedan is not only a battle for points but more importantly a matter of pride. And Abahani currently have the bragging rights after winning the first match between the rivals 2-0 in the group stage of the Federation Cup earlier in the season.
Abahani are also slightly ahead of their rivals in the top flight, occupying third position in the standings with seven points from three matches while Mohammedan are two places behind in fifth with five points from the same number of matches.
Although the fourth-round match will not have a major impact on the fate of the league even then a battle between the eternal foes never fails to produce thrills among their faithful followers.
Both the teams are still unbeaten in the league albeit with different fortunes. Abahani lost their only points of the campaign so far in a draw against Feni Soccer Club while Mohammedan have stumbled to consecutive draws against Muktijoddha Sangsad and newly-promoted Uttar Baridhara with their only win coming against Team BJMC in their last match.
Abahani’s previous league game resulted in a resounding 3-1 victory over Muktijoddha and the nature of the win will give the Sky Blues confidence going into their clash against the Black and Whites today.
Ali Akbar, Abahani’s Iranian coach, however, said on Saturday that a game against Mohammedan is always a huge challenge for his side.
‘Still, I didn’t see Mohammedan’s performance [so far] but I [was] informed that they formed a strong team with some quality footballers,’ said Akbar adding that, ‘It will be a tough job for us to beat them but we are confident that we will leave the field with full three points.’
Mohammedan’s Portuguese coach Rui Capela Batista, who tasted his first win with the Motijheel outfit in the last game, is yet to fully know the historical context of the rivalry although some of his club colleagues have kept him updated.
‘I know that the rivalry between the two teams is one of pride so I have some special planning regarding this match,’ said Batista.
‘If the players play according to my planning, then we have a good chance to win the match,’ he added.
This will be the 15th league meeting between the two teams with Abahani prevailing in six matches, Mohammedan winning two with six matches ending in draws.
The match will kickoff at 4:30pm and state-owned Bangladesh Television will telecast the game live.
-With New Age input
