Bengaluru FC (BFC) will make its maiden AFC Cup appearance at the Sree Kanteerava Stadium here on Tuesday, against 2014 Maldives FA Cup winner Maziya Sports and Recreation Club.
BFC comes into this fixture on the back of 1-4 loss to Mohun Bagan in the I-League, and coach Ashley Westwood welcomed the ‘fresh’ challenge.
“It’s nice to have a little break from the I-League. We look forward to competing in something fresh. The boys want to test their skills against teams across Asia. We are confident, despite the loss,” he said here on Monday.
ADVERTISEMENT
Asked about the opposition, the coach said: “We know that they have three foreign players — the Spanish centre-forward (Valencia youth academy graduate Pablo Rodriguez), the Bulgarian centre-half (former Bulgaria under-19 player Zhivko Dinev), and the Japanese midfielder (Toshiya Hosoe). They are a strong side, with some Maldivian internationals as well.”
Ali Suzain, the Maziya coach, said BFC is not quite the unknown quantity. “I have seen a few match videos of BFC. They have a very good team.
“They have proved their quality by winning the national title in their debut year itself. We have immense respect for the club.”
ADVERTISEMENT