AFC Cup Rival Watch: Mohun Bagan's next opponent Bashundhara Kings

23-year-old Miguel Figueira has scored 21 goals in just 34 appearances

ISL side Mohun Bagan Super Giants will be back in action in the 2023/24 AFC Cup when they face off against Bangladesh Premier League champions Bashundhara Kings on 24 October. The Kings are the best club in & around Bangladesh right now and arguably the biggest threat in Group E for the Mariners.

Bashundhara have admirable quality in their squad and the ability to pop up surprises, as they did by defeating Odisha FC in their last game. They will now be travelling to Odisha to play the Mariners and will certainly look to pop up another surprise result.

About the Team

Bashundhara Kings have been dominating the Bangladesh Football scene in the post-Covid-19 era and have been the dominant side of the Bangladesh Premier League over the last five years. The Kings have won the last three successive BPL titles and are now accustomed to playing in the AFC Cup too.

Apart from that the Bangladeshi giants have also won the Bangladesh Federation Cup twice in their short 10-year history. They have also won the Independence Cup two times, notching up nine trophies won in the course of a decade.

Recent Performances

Bashundhara Kings haven’t really played a lot of football since the end of the 2022/23 Bangladesh Premier League season. They lost to Sharjah FC in the AFC Champions League preliminary qualifier round in August, meaning that they would have to play in the AFC Cup.

The Kings suffered a surprise loss to Maziya S&RC in their opening AFC Cup game, but made a decent comeback in the second game. They defeated Odisha FC 3-2 in the second AFC Cup group game and will aim to build on their winning run in the Asian competition.

The Coach

Oscar Bruzon is probably someone that Indian Super League enthusiasts might remember. He served a short term as the Mumbai City assistant coach in the 2015-16 season, working with Nicolas Anelka on the coaching staff.

Bruzon had also worked as the head coach of (then) I-League side Sporting Club de Goa from 2012-14. The 46-year-old has served as the manager of Spanish club Mallorca for a short stint and even worked as Mumbai FC’s head coach. He has been working as Bashundhara Kings’ head coach since 2018 and guided them to a lot of success.

Indeed, the Kings have won four league titles and two Federation Cup titles under him. They have dominated the Bangladesh football scene, blowing away opponents with exciting attacking football. Bruzon likes to shape his side in a simple 4-2-3-1 formation, but urges an attack-minded style using the wide areas and quick link-up play to torment defenders.

Players to Watch

Dorielton Gomes

Better known just as ‘Dori’, Dorielton Gomes has been a revelation for Bashundhara Kings since arriving at the club in 2022. The Fluminense youth academy product is a ruthless goal-scorer who knows exactly how to sniff out all the chances in the final third. He boasts impressive off-the-ball movement to sneak past defenders and break a defensive line to get himself into scoring chances.

He was the Golden Boot winner of the 2022-23 BPL season, scoring 20 goals in the division. In 28 games for Bashundhara, he has scored 33 goals – which includes a brilliant brace against Odisha FC. Dori will look to destabilize the Mariners’ backline with his conniving style and help his side get a surprise result.

Robinho

This is not the ex-Manchester City striker we are talking about but another Brazilian winger who is running a rampage in Bangladesh. Robinho played an instrumental part in his side’s success last season, scoring 10 goals and providing 12 assists for them in the BPL.

He is really impressive with his dribbling skills, being able to glide past bodies at ease. Robinho has also been on point with his final product, picking out his teammates with excellent innovative passes and also being a clinical goal-scorer. He’ll look to bring that edge to the Kings’ attack and help them be ruthless in the transitions.

Miguel Figueira

The third special Brazilian to complete Samba magic for the Kings is their influential attacking midfielder Miguel Figueira. The 23-year-old has managed impressive stats in his short career with the Kings, scoring 21 goals and providing 15 assists in just 34 appearances.

He’s a really explosive figure, being able to create chances with slick passes into the final third. Figueira also manages to find himself in empty spaces in the final third to score goals and is a major threat in the final third.

What to Expect

Bashundhara Kings are not the kind of side to park the bus even if Mohun Bagan SG might have a stronger squad than them. The Kings love to stick to their attacking stlye against formidable opponents and take the fight against them.

They will look to make good use of their Brazilian attacking core and be clinical in the transitions to destabilize the Mariners’ backline. The Kings are also quite menacing in set-pieces and can work really well through the wings, which they will look to do against Mohun Bagan as well.

This should be an action-packed game between the two heavyweights. Bashundhara will look to go toe-to-toe with the Mariners and get a positive result.