Bengaluru FC (BFC) faces a tough task against Tajikistan’s FC Istiklol in the second leg of the 2017 AFC Cup inter-zone semifinal at the Sree Kanteerava Stadium here on Wednesday.
Having lost 0-1 in the away fixture, BFC will have to defeat FC Istiklol by a two-goal margin to guarantee safe passage to the final. If the game finishes 1-0 in BFC’s favour, 30 minutes of extra-time will be played, followed by penalties. The winner will take on defending champion Air Force Club (Iraq) in the summit clash.
FC Istiklol has been boosted by the return of midfielders David Mawutor and Juraboev Amirbek, while defender Artem Baranavskyi continues to serve a suspension.
BFC, meanwhile, is coming off a three-week break between the fixtures. The players had a short camp at Bellary last week, and have also trained here.
The national team players — including skipper Sunil Chhetri — competed in the Asian Cup qualification round during this time, and are now back to club duties.
BFC will look to continue its fine home form, having recorded four successive wins in the AFC Cup here this season.
The match kicks off at 7 p.m., and will be streamed live on AFC’s Facebook channel.
