AFC Cup 2023: Mohun Bagan's opponents Dhaka Abahani | Rival Watch

Dhaka Abahani defeated Club Eagles from Maldives to qualify for this AFC Cup clash.

Mohun Bagan Super Giant are one step away from qualifiying for the AFC Cup 2023 group stages, but an intimidating challenge in the form of Bangladesh giants Dhaka Abahani stands in their way.

This will be a repeat of the qualifying clash between Dhaka Abahani and the erstwhile ATK Mohun Bagan that took place last year, with the Kolkata heavyweights prevailing on that occasion.

With that being said, the Sky Blue Brigade will be gunning for revenge this time around. They last qualified for the AFC Cup in 2019 and have been ousted in their last two qualifying rounds. Dhaka Abahani is one of Bangladesh’s strongest and richest side, who will aim to shock the Mariners at their own yard on August 22 and pave their path to the 2023 AFC Cup group stages.

About the Team

One of the oldest and most successful teams in Bangladesh football, Dhaka Abahani have undergone a few identity changes in their history. They were founded in 1972 as Abahani Kira Chakra by Sheikh Kamal, the elder brother of current Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, and that name changed to Abahani Limited Dhaka in 1989.

Now, they are more renowned as Dhaka Abahani and are among the strongest teams in the capital of Bangladesh. The Sky Blue Brigade have had a decorated history, having won the Bangladesh Premier League six times and the Bangladesh Federation Cup 12 times. They have won a few Indian competitions too, including the Bordoloi Trophy, Sait Nagjee Trophy and Independence Day Cup in the past.

Dhaka Abahani have also represented their country strongly in Asia and in 2019 they became the first Bangladeshi club to reach the knockout stages of the AFC Cup. They are ranked in 194th place in the AFC Club Ranking category.

Recent Performances

Dhaka Abahani finished second in the Bangladesh Premier League last season, behind winners Bashundhara Kings. They have a pretty good record heading into this game, having won three of their last five competitive matches – with their last defeat coming when they lost a league game against rivals Bashundhara in July.

They defeated AFC Uttara to win their last game of the 2022-23 BPL season, setting themselves up with momentum for the AFC Cup 2023 Preliminary Round 2 clash against Club Eagles. The Sky Blue Brigade had to work hard to defeat the Maldives side in their recent clash, winning 2-1, thanks to a late winner from Danilo Azevedo.

The Coach

Mario Lemos has been associated with Dhaka Abahani for nearly five years now, having taken over as their manager in December, 2018. He spent the first decade of his coaching career from 2007-2018 as the assistant coach or youth coach for teams like Muangthong United II, Icheon Citizen and even as the fitness coach of Bangladesh.

He took over his first managerial role with Malaysian side Negeri Sembilan FA in 2018, managing 19 games. The Portuguese mentor then took over Dhaka Abahani and has been associated with them since. He had a short stint as Bangladesh’s caretaker manager for the 2021 Four Nations Football Tournament, managing three games.

Lemos has guided Dhaka Abahani to a lot of success in his years with them. He guided them to their first-ever AFC Cup knockout stages in 2019. The Sky Blue Brigade have also won the Federation Cup and Independence Cup under him. The 37-year-old has a 66.32% win rate as the Dhaka Abahani manager and demands exciting, attacking football with a 4-3-3 formation – often using the wide areas and swift crosses to set up attacking chances.

Players to Watch

Cornelius Stewart

The Sky Blue Brigade decided to bring in experienced forward Cornelius Stewart to bulk up their frontline ahead of the AFC Cup clashes. He excelled for Sheikh Jamal last season, scoring 11 goals in the BPL. Cornelius is aware of Indian football, having had a short stint at Minerva Punjab in the past. The 33-year-old is a versatile forward who can operate both as a No. 9 and a right winger, making him an unpredictable threat.

Cornelius Stewart is tricky on the ball, being able to sneak past his opponents with ease and is clinical in the final third. He’s an impressive finisher who doesn’t need many chances to put away and can get in behind the defenders to rattle a backline. The 33-year-old will aim to use his experience and trickery to unsettle the Mariners’ defence and provide more scoring chances for his side.

Mohammed Foysal Fahim

An exciting young winger that looks set to be the ‘next big thing’ for Bangladesh football, Mohammed Foysal Ahmed Fahim was a breath of fresh air for Dhaka Abahani last season. Predominantly a left-winger, he can also operate on the right. He enjoyed an impressive 2022-23 season, scoring seven goals and providing two assists in 21 appearances.

Fahim loves to test defenders with his electric runs through wide areas and has the adaptability to move into central areas to cause chaos. His off-the-ball movement, inviting crosses and goal-scoring prowess can cause issues for Mohun Bagan. The 21-year-old will aim to trouble the Mariners on the fast breaks and use his pace as well as incisiveness to cause major damage.

Danilo Quipapa

The reality of the tale for Dhaka Abahani in their upcoming clash is that their backs will be against the wall against the star-studded Mohun Bagan team in their own yard. The Mariners will be expected to produce thrilling attacking football and will constantly push the Sky Blue Brigade towards their own goal. That is why they’ll need to maintain a rock-solid backline to stand a chance of getting a decent result. Brazilian centre-back Danilo Quipapa, who scored the winner in their game against Club Eagles, needs to bring his absolute A-game to the Salt Lake Stadium.

Considering that he’ll be up against Australian forward Jason Cummings or Dimitri Petratos, the 29-year-old needs to be at his confident best. Quipapa will probably look to mark the opposition striker out of the game and act like a leader by coming up with clutch challenges. He and the entire Dhaka Abahani backline need to perform to their best ability if they want to shock the hosts.

What to Expect

The last time Dhaka Abhani were ousted by the Kolkata giants was in April 2022, thanks to a hat-trick from David Williams. They had too many lapses in concentration at the back, making silly mistakes that haunted them. Mario Lemos will look to ensure that doesn’t happen this time around.

The Sky Blue Brigade have a more resilient and stronger side for this game. They love to take the fight to prominent opponents and are quite threatening on the break. The Bangladesh side will look to trouble the Mariners on the counter-attacks and win the ball in midfield to trouble their backline.

However, any chance of Dhaka Abahani producing an upset depends on their defensive sturdiness. If able to frustrate the Mariners and limit them to long shots or something like that, they could get a result. While the odds of them winning are low, the Sky Blue Brigade should come up with a big fight and produce a more hard-working, clinical performance than they did last year.

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