Rivals Abahani Ltd and Mohammedan SC meet today in a crucial Walton Federation Cup group match at the Bangabandhu National Stadium.
Both teams, having already sealed quarter-final places courtesy comfortable victories over second-tier Rahmatganj MFS, will be aiming to top the three-team group and avoid a date with Sheikh Jamal DC. A draw would see Mohammedan finish as group winners on goals scored.
Rahmatganj are already out of quarter-final contention, having lost 3-0 to Abahani and 5-2 to Mohammedan.
This is the first match of the season between the perennial football powerhouses and arch-foes.
Abahani manager Satyajit Das Rupu was confident that his side could pull off a victory and a quarter-final match-up with Sheikh Jamal, who knocked them out at the same stage last season.
‘We are not worried about [Mohammedan’s] attackers because the Rahmatganj goalkeeper was responsible for conceding the first three goals [in the 5-2 defeat],’ he said.
‘We want to play the quarter-finals with a win over Mohammedan, which will give us a morale boost.’
Abahani may also be buoyed by the availability of Brazilian Andre Luis De Souza, who missed the match against Rahmatganj due to international clearance issues.
Mohammedan assistant coach Jewel Rana was more cautious, saying that his team needed to improve on its performance against Rahmatganj to come away with a win over Abahani.
‘I am hopeful with the players up front, but there are some problems in midfield and defence, which conceded two goals against minnows like Rahmatganj due to silly mistakes,’ he said.
‘We will definitely go there for a win, but we must improve on the performance we put up against Rahmatganj.’
-With New Age input
