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Bengaluru FC Media
In what will be a precursor of the Federation Cup final, a rested Bengaluru FC side will take on Mohun Bagan in a Group E game of the AFC Cup at the Rabindra Sarobar Stadium, in Kolkata, on Wednesday. While both Bengaluru and Maziya S&RC are level on points 9 points from 4 games, Albert Roca’s side continue to lead the group owing to a better head-to-head record over the team from the Maldives who host Abahani Dhaka Limited in the group’s earlier kick-off.
With the battle for who makes it out of the group set to go down to the last round where Bengaluru host Maziya on May 31, Roca chose to hand a fair number of players some much needed rest. “This will be our fifth game in 8 days and it’s a situation we have to manage. The heat in Cuttack has taken a lot out of the squad and it was only fair that some of the boys get time to recover before the final.Wednesday’s AFC Cup game is a great chance for the other boys on the squad who have been thorough professionals and have put their hand up whenever the team has needed them,” said Roca on the eve of the game.
While John Johnson and Harmanjot Khabra miss the fixture with suspensions, Cameron Watson hasn’t traveled after taking ill. Amrinder Singh and Juanan Gonzalez are among the other players who haven’t traveled. Skipper Sunil Chhetri has, meanwhile, made the trip back to Bengaluru to have his injury assessed by the club’s medical team.
Mohun Bagan are out of contention in the AFC Cup and given the Federation Cup final scheduled in four days from now, manager Sanjoy Sen too could hand his key players some much-needed rest.
“No matter what squad Mohun Bagan or we decide to go with, I have no illusions of this game being one where we can afford to take our foot off the pedal. The conditions will be tougher for us and I’m confident that the boys will make the most of the experience,” added Roca.
The Blues came back from a goal down to beat Bagan 2-1 in the home leg of this fixture and Roca has told his young side to draw inspiration from that night. “Bagan have always been tough competitors and both the clubs are always fighting for titles. The younger players on the team have a point to prove to me and I’m looking forward to a good show.”
The game kicks off at 7 pm.
Bengaluru FC Media
Albert Roca said he hoped for a drastic change in luck to compliment the kind of football Bengaluru FC have been playing as the Blues take on Mumbai FC at the Cooperage, in Mumbai, on Saturday. Winless in five games now, Bengaluru FC have often found themselves on the short end of fortune to share points in games they should have comfortably won.
“It’s frustrating for sure to control large parts of the game and then come away with a point. But that’s football and like I have been saying, it’s important to keep any negativity away. We back the kind of quality we have and we will need to show it against Mumbai,” he said.
Bengaluru come into this game on the back of three straight draws and the Sunil Chhetri-led side will have to be more clinical with the chances they have been creating in attack if the trend has to be bucked.
The game also marks the first of the reverse legs for the Blues this season. CK Vineeth scored the first hat-trick in the club’s history when Mumbai came to the Kanteerava in January and Bengaluru will hope the striker, who hasn’t scored since then, finds form in front of goal.
Mumbai, meanwhile, are struggling with a winless streak of their own, having gone on to lose five straight games after the 3-0 defeat in Bengaluru. The Santosh Kashyap-coached side picked their first points since then after playing out a goalless draw against Mohun Bagan on Wednesday and find themselves above only Churchill Brothers on the points table.
But much has changed for Mumbai in terms of their squad since they last played Bengaluru. Four foreign singings in Densill Theobald, Djelaludin Sharityar, Alex Willian and Anderson da Silva have joined Kashyap and showed in glimpses against Bagan what they bring to the side.
“Like us, Mumbai too have been chasing a win for some time now and that is what makes them dangerous. They have even added four foreigners who look experienced and that changes a lot from the last time we played them,” said Roca.
In what is surely some respite for Roca, who has missed key players owing to injury and suspensions, central defender Juan Gonzalez has made the trip to Mumbai having served his two-game ban and will add some much needed strength to a Blues defence that has had a few weak moments in the recent past. John Johnson, however, continues his rehabilitation after fracturing a rib and will miss out on Saturday.
The game kicks off at 7 pm and will be telecast on Ten 2.
Bengaluru FC Media
Albert Roca believes that a tough fixture away from home against a team in form could be just what Bengaluru FC need to fix a wobble as the Blues take on Aizawl FC at the Rajiv Gandhi Stadium, in Aizawl, on Wednesday.
A combination of injuries, suspensions and moments of poor luck has stretched the Blues’ winless streak to four games in the League. But the Spanish coach was confident that his side are close to turning a corner if the chances being created in attack are anything to go by.
“We’ve been playing some good football and it’s only a matter of putting to bed the chances we are creating. Against Minerva, we were plain unlucky. But that’s football. We’ve picked ourselves up and are focused on the challenge that Aizawl will throw at us. They are a team that’s high on confidence and are playing at home which means everything is against us. It’s going to be a test of our character and I’m sure the boys will be up to it.”
Having played a game more than Bengaluru, Khalid Jamil-coached Aizawl are third on the table with 16 points and have turned up with some impressive performances this season. Their biggest win came last weekend when Aizawl clawed back from a goal down to beat Churchill Brothers 3-1 at home.
Bengaluru, meanwhile, come off the back of a frustrating 1-1 stalemate at home against Minerva Punjab FC, where a late own goal canceled skipper Sunil Chhetri’s opener, his fourth goal in as many games. The Blues will be without foreign centre backs John Johnson and Juan Gonzalez, who are still serving suspensions, and the coach expects expects a tough clash on Wednesday.
“Aizawl are doing well and it is important to be cautious in our approach as we know that we cannot afford to slip up again. We cannot take them lightly or be complacent and have to put our chances away if we are to take anything away from this game,” he said.
The game kicks off at 2 pm and will be streamed live on i-league.org.
AIFF Media
Bengalru FC Media
In an important Round 7 match of the Hero I-League, Bengaluru FC take on new comer Minerva Punjab FC tomorrow evening at Sree Kanteerava Stadium, Bangalore.
The hosts are going through a mid-season slump. They are back home after a tough away journey where they failed to register single a win in three games. Minerva Punjab is coming with a morale-boosting win and draw back home.
Interestingly, both teams locked horns few days back in the semifinal of the U-16 Youth League, where the team from Punjab got the better of Bengaluru. The later look to turn the table this time around.
Talking to the media, Bengaluru coach Roca agreed his team is down for now, but fortunate that this has happened at an early stage, so there is enough time to retrieve, and come back in title contention.
“We need to keep fighting because that’s the first thing we need to do. It is all about mentality and positive attitude and we’re prepared for the game. We’re eager to win!” stated the Spaniard.
The Steelmen received a jolt in the absence of central defender duo, John Johnson and Juanan, who are out for tomorrow’s match owing to suspension by the AIFF disciplinary committee after their away game against Churchill Brothers.
“I’m confident about the players who will be there tomorrow on the pitch, we’ve have to face the situation, which at present might not be in our favor. We have to be there and try to do our best!” remarked Roca.
BFC is yet to find a replacement for Roby Norales, who after having a stint with the Blues was loaned out to Ozone FC. He is currently doing duty in I-League Second Division. Roca is hopeful about getting the fourth foreigners slot filled next week.
Must be a big match tomorrow for the team from North. After collecting a point in their away first game against Chennai City FC, they were pointless in next three (away) rounds. Team has just gathered momentum after a draw and a win.
Minerva coach, Surinder Singh said, “Team is doing well and they are slowly coming together, we are looking for a positive result.”
“Even a draw would do for us, considering this is our away match. Something is always better than nothing” quipped coach, who believes in taking each match at a time.
The match is scheduled at 7:05 pm and will be telecast live on Ten2 television channel.
Bengaluru FC Media
Bengaluru FC announced the signing of Spaniards Alvaro Rubio and Juan Gonzalez as coach Albert Roca completed his roster of foreigners for the Blues this season.
Rubio (37) is a highly-experienced midfielder who spent ten seasons at Spanish club Real Valladolid (2006-2016) during which he played close to 300 games and captained the side that kept shuffling between La Liga and Segunda Division. Gonzalez (29), meanwhile, is a defender who spent two seasons each with the B teams of Deportivo and Real Madrid before moving to German club Fortuna Dusseldorf where he spent three seasons – one in the Bundesliga and two in the second division. He last played for Amercian side Rayo OKC.
The duo complete Bengaluru’s set of four foreigners after the club announced it had signed Australian midfielder Cameron Watson on Saturday. Watson, Rubio and Gonzalez arrived in the city on Sunday and took part in a session with the team on Monday morning.
While Gonzalez has signed a contract that keeps him with the Blues till the end of the season, Rubio’s term lasts till the end of the year.
“I am happy to have signed for Bengaluru FC. We trained with the team today and everyone is very welcoming. The aim is to try and understand the systems as soon as possible and I would like to use my experience to help the team to success,” said Rubio who also has appearances for the
Spanish national U-20 and U-21 sides.
Gonzalez, who even had a stint with Hungarian club Ujpest FC said he was keen to settle in soon. “I’ve come here to experience something new and I’m confident I will be able to contribute to the team’s success. I’ve left my family back home and that is tough but I’m here to do a job and do it well,” said the towering defender who stands at 1.92 meters.
Roca was confident of the kind of edge the two players would give to the squad. "Alvaro and Juan bring with them valuable experience of playing at the top level. They have played with and competed against some of the best players in world football and I have little doubt that they will give the team an advantage. They are good professionals and team players and will strengthen the squad before what is a crucial set of AFC Cup games,” he said.
