Mohammedan, Abahani lock horns today

Arch-rivals Abahani Limited and Mohammedan Sporting Club will face off in a crucial Bangladesh Premier League encounter today aiming to reduce the gap on table-toppers Sheikh Jamal DC. The match at the Bangabandhu National Stadium will kick off at 6:00pm and will be telecast live on BTV World. Abahani are in the second position with 25 points from 12 matches, six points behind leaders Jamal but five points ahead of Mohammedan.
This will be the fifth time that the old foes will meet this season with the sky-blue outfit winning twice. Mohammedan won their last meeting in the semi-final of the Independence Cup while two matches ended as draw.
Abahani’s two wins included a 1-0 success in the first phase.
Abahani coach Ali Akbar, however, wants a revenge on their Independence Cup loss, which will inevitably widen the gap between the eternal foes.
‘We had some injury problems during the Independence Cup but now our players are all fit and I am confident of winning the match,’ said Akbar on Saturday.
‘It will be a big pressure match and I will order my charges to attack from the beginning,’ said Abahani’s Iranian coach Akbar.
Abahani made a shocking start to the second phase when they lost to Brothers Union in their opening game but two wins in successive matches against Feni Soccer Club and Muktijoddha Sangsad brought their title bid back on track.
Mohammedan, on the other hand, conceded a shock defeat in their last match against Team BJMC, which ended their unbeaten run of 12 matches.
Independence Cup champions Mohammedan are also facing some injury concerns as winger Zahid Hossain, Nigerian midfielder Damien Chigozie and midfielder Hemanta Bishwas are all carrying some niggles, which made them uncertain for today’s match.
They also can be without their Portuguese coach Rui Jose Capela Batista, who is suffering from stomach bug.
One good news for Mohammedan, however, is the recovery of their captain Zahid Hasan Ameli who has been declared fit having missed the last two matches due to groin injury.
‘We have a few injury problems, but I am going to stick with my game plan,’ said Batista on Saturday.
‘Our last game against Team BJMC was a bad day for us, but we are taking inspiration from the Independence Cup victory. We must win to stay in the title race.
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-With New Age input