Kolkata Giants Mohun Bagan Super Giant continue their AFC Cup campaign as they face Dhaka Abhani in the second preliminary round aka the playoffs to seal their berth in the group stage of the AFC Cup 2023-24. Ahead of the game, Mariner’s head coach Juan Ferrando is treating the game as a final match.
After comfortably defeating Macchindra FC 3-1 in the previous encounter, it is now do-or-die for the Green and Maroon brigade to make it to the next stage. “It is a very important match for us before the group stage and we are ready to give our 100%,” said the Spanish gaffer.
Mohun Bagan has a difficult fixture ahead of them. After this AFC Cup tie, the Kolkata giants are also slated to play in the quarter-finals of the Durand Cup. “Our pre-season was difficult as we didn’t get much time to prepare. It is an important game for us and we are treating it as a final.”
“They (Abahani Dhaka) have a good team with good players in their squad, so it will not be easy for us tomorrow. Both teams want the same target, the same goal, and the key for us will be to maintain focus for 90 minutes and beyond,” said Ferrando at the pre-match press conference.
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Mohun Bagan SG winger Liston Colaco feels that the team is confident ahead of the match, though he did admit that at a personal level, he needs to perform better than last season.
“We’ve had a good pre-season, and now we have played some good matches in the Durand Cup, so the boys are quite confident,” he said. “But the most important thing for me is to improve my game every season and give my best for my team. For me, the numbers have to improve than what they were last season, and it is important to focus on the areas that I did not perform as well and improve on them.”
Dhaka Abhani Ready to Die
Abahani Dhaka head coach Mario Lemos was in the mood to egg his side on, and made a commitment that his players are “ready to die for the team”.
“We have to be organized and disciplined. We won’t have the ball, we have to fight, we have to run, and be able to play without the ball. And as a player, you always want to have the ball. In our BPL, maybe it’s the opposite. We always have the ball. We’re a dominant team, we try to win every match, and here is the opposite. It is changing that mindset allowing them to have the ball in certain areas where we feel comfortable but of course not in the final third. We don’t want them to have the ball and suffer,” the Dhaka coach said.
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