Bashundhara Kings vs East Bengal lineups, team news, prediction & preview | AFC Challenge League 2024-25

The Red & Gold brigade will look to grab three points from the game.

East Bengal are still searching for their first win under Oscar Bruzon as they face off against his former side Bashundhara Kings in the second match of the 2024-25 AFC Challenge Cup on Tuesday (29 October).

The Red & Gold Brigade finally ended their losing streak with a hard-fought draw against Paro FC in their opener, but Bruzon will be determined to finally get a win with his new side and put a dampener on his former employers’ chances.

The Stakes

Bashundhara Kings

The Bangladeshi giants started their AFC Challenge League campaign disappointingly by suffering a narrow loss to Nejmeh FC. With just two more matches remaining, Bashundhara Kings realize that there is no more room for slacking off.

They need to prove their quality with a resilient and inspired performance against East Bengal and might look to make good of the Indian Super League (ISL) side’s shaky form. If Bashundhara can get a big win, that can automatically improve their chances of getting out of the group but at this point, another loss can more or less knock them out.

East Bengal

Even though East Bengal’s losing run is now over, they are still winless in their last nine competitive matches and that is never acceptable. Even though the players are producing much more encouraging, attack-minded performances under Bruzon, they still need to bring a more clinical edge to their output.

The Red & Gold Brigade realize that a big win against Bashundhara can not only take them a step closer to qualifying for the knockout stages but also significantly improve the squad’s confidence levels. But another dim draw or less can keep the frustrated nature around the team and also significantly decrease their qualifying chances.

Team & Injury News

Bashundhara Kings should have a fully fit squad available for this match. East Bengal could be missing Provat Lakra, who picked up an injury in the last match.

Head-to-Head

This will be the first time that the Bashundhara Kings and East Bengal face off against each other.

Predicted Lineups

Bashundhara Kings (4-3-3)

Anisur Rahman (GK); Isaiah Ejeh, Topu Barman, Jasur Jumaev, Tariq Kazi; Kpehi Broussou Vajer Gryshyn, Miguel Ferreira; Foysal Fahim, Fernandes, Mojibur Jony

East Bengal (4-2-3-1)

Prabhsukhan Gill (GK); Mohammad Rakip, Anwar Ali, Hijazi Maher, Lalchungnunga; Hector Yuste, Saul Crespo; Madih Talal, Naorem Mahesh Singh, Nandhakumar Sekar; Dimitrios Diamantakos

Players to Watch

Miguel Ferreira (Bashundhara Kings)

Miguel Ferreira has proven to be a prolific asset for Bashundhara Kings over the last few years and he performed well in Oscar Bruzon’s stint as well. He scored nine goals and provided five assists in 14 Bangladeshi Premier League matches last season, showcasing impressive versatility in being able to slot in anywhere in midfield.

The Brazilian midfielder is hard-working and extremely creative in the final third, having the sense to get into goal-scoring positions and helping link up some slick attacking moves. He’ll need to be at his most efficient self for Bashundhara Kings to breach the East Bengal backline, getting his final passes perfectly and also nailing his finishing to put his side in front.

Dimitrios Diamantakos (East Bengal)

Dimitrios Diamantakos has looked quite sharp in East Bengal’s last few matches, showcasing a knack for being a menace in the opposition backline. He performed well in the draw against Paro FC, scoring a nice penalty and also linking up nicely to help his side move forward.

Diamantakos still needs to be a bit more consistent in terms of finishing his chances and also perhaps improve his hold-up play a bit more.

But as long as he can maintain his positive energy levels from the last few games and add more ruthlessness to his final product, he can torment the opposition defenders and raise his side’s goal-scoring chances.

Did you know?

• East Bengal will face a Bangladeshi side in Bashundhara Kings for the second time in an AFC competition after having played against Muktijoddha Sangsad Dhaka in the 2005 AFC Cup.
• Bashundhara Kings are unbeaten in their last two matches against Indian teams, having picked up a draw and a win against Mohun Bagan last season.
• Oscar Bruzon guided Bashundhara Kings to win four Bangladeshi Premier League titles during his tenure.

Telecast

The Bashundhara Kings vs East Bengal match will take place on 29 October (Tuesday) at the Changlimithang Stadium, Thimpu. It will kick off at 9:30 PM IST. The match will be streamed on T Sports’ YouTube channel.

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