New-look Bengaluru face 4.25 SC challenge

Bengaluru FC Media

A new-look Bengaluru FC squad will have their task cut out when they come up against North Korean side 4.25 SC in the first leg of the Inter-Zonal semifinal of the 2017 AFC Cup at the Kanteerva Stadium today.

Taking field for their first game of the 2017-18 season, the Blues will aim to make the most of home advantage to get a positive result ahead of the second leg, which will be played in Pyongyang a fortnight later. However, the job at hand won’t be an easy one given the fact that squad has been completely overhauled only four weeks back.

“It’s never easy at the start of the season. We have a new-look squad and had just four weeks to prepare. But we’re eager to get into action and are looking forward to the game. We had a good pre-season trip to Spain and we’ve been working hard in Bengaluru as well. A bunch of players from last season are still with us and we hope to carry forward the same form from the group stage,” said Head Coach Albert Roca speaking on the eve of the big clash.

On the team news front, the Blues will be without the services of talismanic defender John Johnson, who is away for personal reasons, and Braulio Nobrega, who isn’t part of the squad. Meanwhile, the rest of the foreigners, along with Indian players are all fit and available for selection. “Johnson has been an important part of the club for the last four years, and we will definitely miss him. However, we’ve signed some good foreign players who bring in a lot of experience and will help us immensely in this competition. We’ve even included some deserving youngsters from our academy in the squad and they give us some great options in different positions,” added Roca while sharing his thoughts on the composition of the team.

Opponents 4.25 SC, who are making their debut appearance in the competition, topped Group-I (East Asia Zone) with two wins and as many draws in four games, ahead of fellow North Korean side Kigwancha SC thanks to better goal difference. While their attack will be spearheaded by tournament top-scorer Kim Yu-song who has netted nine goals, they’re pretty much an unknown opponent for Roca’s boys. “We know very little about our opponents, but we are at the business end of the competition and no matter which team we get drawn against, they won’t give us an easy game. We are focused on our strengths. 4.25 SC are definitely a good side considering that they are still unbeaten in the competition and we’re expecting a tough game,” said the coach.

The match kicks off at 7 pm and will be streamed live on the Facebook and YouTube channels of AFC Cup.

Bengaluru go down fighting to Al-Wehdat, out of Champions League reckoning

Bengaluru FC Media 

A valiant effort from JSW Bengaluru Football Club went in vain as they bowed out of the running for a place in the group stages of the 2017 AFC Champions League, after a 2-1 loss to Jordanian champions Al-Wehdat at the King Abdullah International Stadium in Amman, Jordan, on Tuesday. Skipper Sunil Chhetri scored what was to be a consolation for the Blues after goals from Ahmed Wridat and Baha Faisal gave Wehdat a 2-0 lead.

Albert Roca’s 5-2-3 had Johnson, Juan, Ralte, Khabra and Udanta in defence with Lenny and Cameron in midfield, while Chhetri, Lyngdoh and Vineeth formed the Blues’ attack.

Content to sit back and soak in the pressure, Bengaluru pulled off the plan flawlessly in the first half, refusing to give Wehdat any clear chance at goals. For all the half chances that the hosts did create, Amrinder Singh was at his safest best, keeping things clean with the collections.

For all their resistance in a smart first half, Bengaluru conceded soon after the restart when Wridat scored from close after the ball came off the Blues defence and fell at the No. 9’s feet in the box. But just as the Blues were looking to put behind the disadvantage and chase the game, Sena Ralte conceded a needless penalty, bringing Baha Faisal in the box with the ball nowhere near the two. Faisal stepped up and smashed his take to Amrinder’s right even though the ’keeper guessed it right.

Left with a mountain to climb, Bengaluru refused to cave in to the pressure. And their bravery was rewarded in the 68th minute when Chhetri rose to nod home Watson’s take from a Bengaluru corner to stun the home crowd into silence. Sensing the need to add pace in the hunt for an equaliser, Roca threw in Mandar Rao Dessai for Lyngdoh.

Bengaluru’s best chance for an equaliser came in the 83rd minute when Udanta, after being picked by Chhetri, crossed in a delightful ball only to see Vineeth to hit over from close.

The Blues join Maldivian side Maziya S&RC, Bangladesh’s Abahani FC and the winner of the South Zone play-off between clubs from India, Bhutan, Sri Lanka and Maldives, in Group E of the AFC Cup.

AFC Champions League Qualifier - Bengaluru FC to play against Al-Wehdat

Bengaluru FC Media 

Finalists in the AFC Cup in 2016, Bengaluru FC begin their continental quest this season with a tough test away at Al-Wehdat in Jordan in an AFC Champions League Preliminary Stage Two fixture to be played at the King Abdullah International Stadium, on Tuesday.

The Blues’ Spanish coach Albert Roca said his side will have to come up with something special on the night if they are to become the first Indian club to make the Preliminary stage one of the competition. “The AFC Champions League is the highest level of competition in the continent, so I don’t think I need to spell out how tough a test this will be. We are coming up against a team that is far more experienced than us but we have to be ready for every sort of challenge if we want to consistently compete in Asia,” said Roca.

The last time Bengaluru competed for a spot in the Champions League group stages was in February 2015 when they took Johor Darul Ta’zim to extra-time in the single-leg tie before going down 2-1.

In Al-Wehdat, Bengaluru have opponents who have won the Jordan League for the last three seasons and 15 times in all apart from 10 Jordan FA Cup titles, 12 Jordan Super Cup titles and 8 Jordan FA Shield titles. In Asia, their best finish was a place in the semi-final of the AFC Cup in 2011.

Though, Bengaluru come into the game having suffered consecutive defeats in the League back home, Roca refused to cite the blip as a reason for worry before what will be his team’s biggest game till date this season. “No one in the team sees it like that. The boys know they cannot afford to make the mistakes that have cost us in the League, against a side like Wehdat and on a stage like this. While I cannot predict Tuesday’s outcome, I know that the team will turn up with the kind of attitude I want to see,” he said.

The Jordanian side, meanwhile, are riding on the back of four straight wins and sit second on the Jordan League table at the half-way stage.

“They are the favourites and we are going to have to be very organized if we want to cause them any trouble. There’s also much talk about the cold weather conditions but we refuse to make much of it,” said Roca.

The Blues arrived in Amman on Sunday morning from Goa but misplaced baggage meant the team couldn’t put in a session in the evening.

Roca’s regular rotation of the squad makes it difficult to predict the kind of starting-XI he will roll out on Tuesday. In attack, CK Vineeth, Daniel Lalhlimpuia, Udanta Singh and Roby Norales have all made starts in different games, while the midfield and defence too has seen swapping of personnel.

Al Wahda of UAE awaits the winner of this tie and should Bengaluru fail to get a result against Wehdat, they will drop down the AFC Cup where they may be grouped alongside Maziya S&RC (Maldives), Abahani FC (Bangladesh) and the winner of the South Zone play-off between clubs from India, Bhutan, Bangladesh and Maldives.

The game kicks off at 9.30 pm IST.

Bengaluru FC set for big night in Asia

Bengaluru FC Media

Bengaluru FC will add a key chapter to their little but event-filled history when the Blues take on Malaysian champions Johor Darul Ta’zim in the AFC Champions League preliminary qualifier to be played at the Larkin Stadium, in Johor, Malaysia, on Wednesday.

Ashley Westwood’s League and Federation Cup champions take the field at 6.15 pm IST for what is arguably their biggest night yet and the gaffer has said his boys are keen on giving a good account of themselves on the Asian stage. The Blues had embarked on a pre-season tour to China earlier this season with an eye on the Asian challenges this campaign. The odds are heavily stacked against Bengaluru who also have 18,000 Johor fans spurring their side on, to deal with.

“On the day anything can happen. We'll go into the game and apply ourselves correctly which is our framework and see where it takes us. You can't be overconfident in football. We are hopeful. We are looking forward to our experience in Asian Football,” said Westwood at the pre-game press conference on Tuesday.

After a rather indifferent start to their title defence, Bengaluru’s last game was a big 0-4 win away from home to leaders Royal Wahingdoh and the result has done the Blues’ confidence a fair amount of good. But Westwood isn’t making too much of it with relation to the challenge in Johor.

“The morale in the camp is good. We've come here on the back of a 4-0 victory which stands us in good stead. But this is football and change is regular. We don't look at anything into the past and we're looking forward to a good match. Hopefully we can do ourselves some justice and look what we can bring to the table. They are a good side with some quality players. It will be a difficult as they are the champion side.”

Johor, on their part, began their own title defence of the Malaysia Super League with a 2-0 win over Pahang last week and while coach Bojan Hodak admitted that playing at home will work for them, he wasn't willing to write the tie off as a cakewalk. “Of course, we are playing at home and I have always said that if you are playing at home, no matter who you are up against, you are always favourites. But it's going to be a tough match. Bengaluru are a good, organised and physical team. We have seen a few of their videos. The good thing is that we beat Pahang FC and the spirit in the camp is good,” he said.

Hodak said Johor would be without Argentine striker Luciano Figueroa who picked up an injury and the coach wasn't willing to take a gamble on him. Westwood, meanwhile, has a completely fit squad to pick from. A win on Wednesday would see Bengaluru travel to play Bangkok Glass in their bid to move closer to the league stages of Asia's premier club competition.

Medio Joshua Walker trains at the Larkin Stadium