AFC Bengaluru FC face Istiklol test
Dushanbe (Tajikistan), Sept. 26: Federation Cup winners Bengaluru FC will look to continue their good run when they face FC Istiklol in the first leg of the zonal final of the AFC Cup at the Hisor Central Stadium here on Wednesday.
“We know how close we are to a shot at the final but we’ve kept that out of our thoughts for the moment. Over the next two games, it’s only Istiklol that we are concerned about,” BFC head coach Albert Roca told reporters here.
The Blues set up the clash with the 2015 runners-up after staving off a fight from North Korean side 4.25 SC to emerge 3-0 winners on aggregate.
The task, however, won’t be an easy one given the rival’s recent run of form, and Roca wants his team to be aware of the threat they pose.
“It’s going to be tough to get a good result against a team that have played a final before, but we are motivated to give our best. They are more matured than us, given they have just finished the league as champions,” he said.
Istiklol come into the game on the back of an undefeated AFC Cup campaign so far with six wins and two draws.
Moreover, their unbeaten streak isn’t just limited to the continental stage, as they are also unbeaten in 24 competitive games in the 2017 season so far.
As many as 13 of their 19 wins during this period have come in the Tajik League where they clinched the 2017 title in 16 games with five rounds to play.
Istiklol, however, will be without the services of three players — David Mawutor (Ghana), Amirbek Juraboev and Ukrainian defender Artem Baranovskyi — all of whom will miss the game with suspensions.
Roca said his side wouldn’t be making much of it given the depth in their quality.
“They have players who can change the direction of a game in minutes and the key for us would be stay focused through the 90 minutes without taking the tie for granted,” he said.
The Spaniard has a complete squad to choose from and while he rolled out an unchanged starting XI over two legs against 4.25 SC, Roca could mull a few changes against the Tajik side.