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

The Torchbearers will be on the hunt for a win as they embark on their AFC Challenge League journey.

East Bengal FC kick off their 2024-25 AFC Challenge League group stage campaign by playing hosts Paro FC at the Changlimithang Stadium, Thimphu on Saturday (26 October).

The Red & Gold Brigade are heading into the match at the back of some horrible form and hope the change in environment can trigger a rise in fortune that helps them get a much-needed win against the Bhutanese giants.

The Stakes

East Bengal

Oscar Bruzon has had a tough beginning to his East Bengal coaching career with two losses in as many matches. But his side at least showed encouraging signs of improvement in the recent loss to Odisha FC in the Indian Super League (ISL), playing some nice attacking football. He’ll hope they can build on that and add more cutting-edge to their high pressing as well as finishing.

East Bengal desperately need a win to not only lift the mood of everyone around the club but stop this rot from setting in further. A win to kick off their continental campaign can definitely boost the self-belief of the squad, while a draw can be decent. Another loss, however, can risk completely turning off the fans from believing in the team.

Paro FC

Paro FC will probably be thanking their luck to be facing East Bengal during this kind of crisis. They’re in high spirits themselves after having won their fourth consecutive Bhutan Premier League title recently. The Paro FC players are fully fit and have momentum on their side heading into this clash.

They’ll look to take the fight to East Bengal, pushing their shaky backline with constant attacking moves and not letting them off the hook. Paro FC can definitely improve their chances of getting out of the group stages with a big win over East Bengal, but losing against the Red & Gold Brigade while in this kind of form can be a total downer for the Tigers.

Injury and Team News

East Bengal have traveled with all six foreigners to Bhutan for the AFC Challenge League. However, Mark Zothanpuia is out of action due to an injury.

Paro FC should have a fully fit unit available after their recent league success.

Head-to-Head

This is the first time that East Bengal and Paro FC will meet each other in a continental competition.

Lineups

East Bengal (4-2-3-1)

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

Paro FC (3-2-3-2)

Milos Cupic (GK); Marko Ivanovic, Karma Chetrim, Nima Wangdi; Tomoyoki Unno, William Opoku; Evans Asante, Kazuo Homma, Kinga Wangchuk; Koki Narita, Motohiro Kaneshiro

Players to Watch

Dimitrios Diamantakos (East Bengal)

East Bengal need their forward players to start showing their clinical edge for them to get into a sort of winning momentum anytime soon. They have a prolific goal-scorer in striker Dimitrios Diamatankos, who scored his first goal of the Indian Super League (ISL) campaign against Odisha FC. Diamantakos looked sharp in the last game, making the right runs in the final third and also linking up nicely with his teammates.

He needs to continue helping build up attacks with his clever passes and link-up play. But Diamantakos really needs to tap into his best in terms of finishing chances, putting away opportunities by being decisive in front of goal for East Bengal to hurt Paro FC.

Evans Asante (Paro FC)

Evans Asante has been a devoted figure for Paro FC over the last few seasons and produced some impressive numbers for them as well. He scored over 10 goals in their previous league-winning campaign and has proven to be quite the creative figure in terms of setting up chances too.

The Ghanaian winger is versatile enough to move around in the opposition area to cause a lot of trouble. He’ll look to torment the East Bengal defenders with his quick-fire runs and also deliver in the final third. If Asante can put his clinical finishing skills to good use, he can tip things in Paro FC’s favour and give them a big win in their AFC Challenge League opener.

Did you know?

• The AFC Challenge League is the second AFC competition in which East Bengal will play after the AFC Cup.
• Japanese legend Keisuke Honda played a few matches for Paro FC in their Bhutan Premier League winning campaign. He also played in their win over Church Boys FC in the AFC Challenge League qualifier playoffs.
• East Bengal have had the worst start to an ISL season with six consecutive losses.

Telecast

The East Bengal vs Paro FC match will take place on Saturday (26 October) at the Changlimithang Stadium, Thimphu. The match will kick off at 4:30 PM IST and will be live-streamed on Bhutan Broadcasting Channel’s YouTube handle.

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