Bengaluru FC, Maziya S&RC look to save face in AFC Cup dead-rubber

Both teams have already been eliminated from the competition, ahead of their last group stage fixture.

Bengaluru FC will be in action against Maziya S&RC in their next Group D fixture of the AFC Cup on Tuesday. Both the Indian Super League (ISL) outfit and the Maldives-based club are out of contention to finish on top of the group standings. This, in turn, means that there is no chance for them to advance into the knockout stages. ATK Mohun Bagan (6) and Bashundhara Kings (4) have more points than Bengaluru FC (1) and Maziya (0) after the first two fixtures. 

That said, both Bengaluru FC and Maziya S&RC will look at the upcoming fixture as a way of preparing for the new season. There are several areas where Marco Pezzaiuoli needs to work in particular for the Blues, especially the goalscoring department. His men are yet to find the back of the net in the continental tournament, despite having enough quality in attack.

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Here is what is in store for BFC’s final fixture in the 2021 AFC Cup against Maziya:

The Stakes

Maziya S&RC have lost both of their opening games and are sitting at the bottom of the group standings. They gave a good account of themselves against ATKMB, as they led by a goal after the first 45 minutes. A similar showing against BFC would be ideal and they’ll also be looking to sign off by causing an upset. 

Bengaluru FC will play for pride and look to gain momentum by winning their last game. They need to find their goalscoring touch before the new season of the ISL starts. The AFC campaign has been bitterly disappointing for the Blues. There is a lack of creativity in the team and many familiar issues which need fixing. Once again, Bengaluru FC will be the favourites coming into this fixture.

Team News

Maziya S&RC could field an unchanged lineup yet again as they have done so in the first two games. There are no major injury concerns and the outfit will hope the players can replicate their good performance. 

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Bengaluru FC tactician Pezzaiuoli made three changes and gave starts to Parag Shrivas, Danish Farooq and Bidyashagar Singh. He could make more changes to test the players and figure out his strongest starting lineup. However, one can expect players like Sunil Chhetri and Cleiton Silva to remain among the starters. There are no major injury concerns apart from Ashique Kuruniyan who was not involved against Bashundhara Kings.

Predicted Lineups

Maziya S&RC: Mirzokhid (GK); Yamin, Blanco, Abdulla; Irufaan, Odawara, Nihan, Ibrahim;  Hussain, Mohamed, Ezekiel.

Bengaluru FC: Gurpreet (GK); Golui, Costa, Musavu-King, Roshan; Rane, Wangjam, Kumar; Bidyashagar, Chhetri, Silva.

Man to Watch

Cornelius Stewart (Maziya S&RC)

Cornelius Stewart is a man in form. The forward was all over ATKMB’s defenders and created many chances for his fellow attackers. He provided an assist for the first goal after finding Aisam Ibrahim inside the box who slotted the ball in. BFC defenders will definitely have a hard time dealing with Stewart’s pace and movement. He has the tendency to deliver good crosses and is a tireless runner on the press.

Cleiton Silva (Bengaluru FC)

Cleiton Silva is hungry for goals following a goal drought. The Brazilian striker got close to finding the back of the net a few times against Bashundhara Kings. He has developed a good partnership with Sunil Chhetri and the combination is BFC’s best bet for a goal. The tall striker needs better delivery that gives him more scoring opportunities. Maziya S&RC will need to keep Silva under close check, if they are to prevent BFC from scoring.

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Did You Know 

• BFC Previously beat another Maldives side, Club Eagles, to qualify for the AFC Cup group stages.
• After scoring six times in the AFC Cup Playoff games, BFC are yet to open their account in the group stages.
• Maziya S&RC won the Dhivehi Premier League (Maldives top-flight league) in the 2020-21 season.

Telecast

The match will kick off on August 24, 2021, at 9:30 PM IST at the Maldives National Football Stadium. The match will be shown on the Star Sports Network and be available to watch on Hotstar and JioTV as well.

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