Bengaluru FC Rival Watch for AFC Cup: Who are Tribhuwan Army FC?

The Blues will clash against the Nepalese outfit in their upcoming preliminary round two clash in the AFC Cup 2021.

Indian Super League outfit, Bengaluru FC will face Nepal’s Tribhuwan Army FC in their highly anticipated AFC Cup 2021 preliminary round two fixture. Their opponents were revealed after Nepal's A-Division League outfit secured a victory over Sri Lanka Police on Tuesday in the qualifying round one fixture.

The Blues are favorites on-paper, but will need to pull up their socks to navigate through a match with an unknown team. This could be a banana skin for the ISL outfit, who will play under their new tactician Marco Pezzaiuoli for the first time. 

The game is set to be played at the GMC Stadium in Goa on 14 April 2021. With BFC now gearing up to secure qualification here is what Tribhuwan Army FC bring to the table:

Recent Performance

Tribhuwan Army, also referred to as Nepal Army FC played their recent match against Sri Lanka Police in round one of preliminary qualifying. They came away as comfortable victors by a 5-1 scoreline. Even though the side were playing their first competitive game after a gap of a year, they looked in good rhythm.

They finished second in the recent A-Division League in Nepal, winning nine out of their 13 games. The Blues will have their hands full facing a team who knows how to win games and score plenty of goals. 

About The Team

Tribhuwan Army are based out of Kathmandu in Nepal. The club plays in the country’s top division league, which is the Martyr's Memorial A-Division League. They received their AFC club license as recently as in 2020 and were eligible to contest in competitions organised by the federation. 

In their last nine seasons in the A-Division, the club have finished second on three occasions and third on two. The club has several players who also represent the Nepal national team. The team usually plays a 4-4-2 system with a pair of strikers up top and can easily transition into a full-frontal attack or a low-block defence, as the situation demands. 

The Coach

The manager of the side is Nabin Neupane. The 41-year-old was appointed as the manager back in 2018/19 and has since led the team to good performances in the A-Division. The tactician puts his faith in the 4-4-2 system, which has paid dividends in the club’s recent results. As a player, he played for Nepalese clubs like Manang Marshyangdi Club and New Road Team. He was previously the manager at Manang Marshyangdi as well. 

Players To Watch

Nawayug Shrestha

Nawayug Shrestha is a center-forward who is on loan at Tribhuwan Army FC from Pokhara Thunders. The 30-year-old plays upfront in a partnership with Bharat Khawas. The duo have a good understanding and positional sense. In the previous fixture against Sri Lanka Police, Shrestha scored an impressive brace for the team. He will be one to watch out when the two teams clash.

Bharat Khawas

Bharat Khawas also plays as a center-forward in a two-man striking partnership with Nawayug Shrestha. The skipper is perhaps the most notable figure in the team. He has also represented the Nepal national team on 55 occasions, scoring 10 goals in the process. The player is currently on loan from FC Chitwan.

Santosh Tamang

Santosh Tamang is an attacking midfielder. In the recent victory against Sri Lanka Police, the 26-year-old opened the scoring for his side. The creative midfielder has a more advanced role in the middle of the park, where he played alongside Sesehang Angdembe. With his vision and tendency to find himself in scoring positions, Tamang can hurt any opposition. He is currently on loan from Biratnagar City FC.

What To Expect?

For Bengaluru FC and their fans, Tribhuwan Army FC will be a completely new experience. The teams have not competed against each other before. The factor of the unknown can play in the favour of the Nepalese club, but the Indian side are definitely stronger on-paper.

However, BFC’s defenders will need to be vigilant of the threat posed by the two strikers fielded by the opposition. The 4-4-2 system will be tough to break down and they could hurt the Blues on the counter-attack.

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