Bengaluru FC target Inter-zonal Final as 4.25 SC challenge awaits

Bengaluru FC Media 

Bengaluru FC will be hoping to finish off the job at hand when they take on Korea DPR side 4.25 SC in the second leg of the 2017 AFC Cup Inter-Zonal semifinal at the May Day Stadium in Pyongyang, on Wednesday. Taking a three-goal lead into the game, thanks to a dominant win at the Kanteerava a little over two weeks ago, the Blues will be eager to book their place in the Inter-Zonal final. 

However, the game won’t be an easy one with 4.25 SC banking on home advantage and support to spur them on to a fightback. Speaking on the eve of the crucial game, Head Coach Albert Roca adopted a cautious approach. The Spaniard expects his team to stay focused and avoid any slip ups. 

“It’s going to be a tough match for us, given the conditions. Even though we have a three-goal advantage, we can’t be complacent. We have to stay focused on our game plan and get the job done on Wednesday,” he said.

While the team’s initial plan was to travel to Pyongyang on Friday, DPR Korea’s Foundation Day Celebrations on Saturday, September 9th meant the Blues had to postpone their departure to Sunday night and landed in the capital city late on Monday after transiting through China. Speaking on the lack of time to acclimatize to the conditions, Roca said, “It would have been ideal to arrive a little earlier which would have given our boys enough time to get used to the conditions. But it is what it is. We want to hit the ground running and I hope it turns out to be a good experience.”

On the team news front, Roca has almost an entire squad to choose from with no suspensions or injuries to worry about. However, Dimas Delgado, Lenny Rodrigues and Harmanjot Khabra who all picked up bookings during the first leg will have to be careful as another booking will find them suspended from the Inter-zonal final should the Blues make it through.

The game kicks off at 5 PM local time (2 PM IST) in Pyongyang on Wednesday.

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 to face North Korean side 4.25 SC in AFC Cup Inter-Zone semifinal

Bengaluru FC Media

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia: Federation Cup champions JSW Bengaluru Football Club were drawn to face North Korean side 4.25 SC (April 25 Sports Club) in the 2017 AFC Cup Inter Zone semifinals, at the AFC club competitions draw, held in Kuala Lumpur, on Tuesday.

While the Kanteerava Stadium is set to host the North Korean side on August 23rd, the reverse leg of the tie will be played at the 1,14,000 capacity May Day Stadium, in Pyongyang, on September 13th.

4.25 qualified to the Inter Zonal playoffs after winning the East Zone group, which consisted of Kigwancha SC and Mongolian side Erchim SC. The club, run by the North Korean Army and appearing on the continental stage for the first time in 25 years, scored a total of 14 goals in four matches in the three-team group, winning two and drawing two.

“April 25 SC are a side we’ve got very little information about so this will be a challenge of a different kind. We’ve got a good two months to prepare for this fixture and that’s what we’ll do. We did well in this competition and it is our aim to go one better than last time and win the cup,” said Blues’ boss Albert Roca.

Should Roca’s men get past 4.25 SC, they will face one of Tajikistan's FC Istiklol Dushanbe and the ASEAN Zone tie winner between Singapore's Home United or Philippines' Ceres Negros.

The Blues were also, by virtue of being South Zone Champions, awarded a cheque of $100,000 by AFC General Secretary Dato’ Windsor John at the commencement of the draw. Bengaluru qualified for the knockout rounds of the tournament for a third consecutive season after defeating Maziya S&RC to top Group E.