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Battle of 1 cr today

At. MusabbirSadi
Welcome to this year's super heavyweight championship bout.
At one corner of the lush green of the Bangabandhu National Stadium are Abahani in their famous sky blues. At the other end stand Mohammedan in their traditional black and whites.
The stage is the Cityccll Super Cup,
the richest tournament in the country's history, where the two archrivals would be ready to reveal all their skills, techniques, claws and tricks to be the number one because the winners are guaranteed to take awayTk one crore. I-or the losers, the consolation purse is a mere Tk 20 lakh.
Today's final, which has already been billed as the biggest fight ever for a sporting silverware in Bangladesh, is expected to produce a houseful stadium after a long time as the previous matches showed signs of the game's good old fans returning to the ground.
It could put pressure on the class of2008, most of who are not used to the presence of such big crowds. And the nerves of the 22 men who will start at 5 pm would be put
to the test, especially with key players either miss- ment. ing out or not at their best.
B. League champions Abahani, still undefeated in five matches of the tournament, will be without both their holding midfielders, Arif Khan Joy and Pranotosh Das, who are suspended after receiving too many cards.
Sky Blues coach Amalesh Sen was yet to decide who would be his choice as the defensive midfielder as his remaining players are all made in the attacking mould.
Ghanaian central defender Samad Yussif or attacking midfielder Abul
1 lossain could fit in die role as Amalesh has other options to make up for their absence at die back and attack. But he could well be tempted to change his favourite 4-4-2 formation in a bid to make the most out of the team.
Maruful I laquc, the young Mohammedan coach who has managed a troubled team well throughout the sea son, has no suspension cases but his attackers are half-fit only.
Marksman Alamu Bukola from Nigeria, top scorer for the B. League runners-up with 18 goals, missed the second leg of the semifinal against Chittagong Mohammedan but will start today despite not fully recovering from dehydration.
Robin has not shown his full strength since returning from a three-month lay off due to injury while Komol looked unfit during his brief appearance last time out after suffering from typhoid.
Defender Saikat, with five stitches over one eye, is also not going to make the first eleven as Maruf's options have become squeezed.
However, before their fourth meeting of the season, both coaches sounded positive about the grand finale.
And form and strength will not matter, as it never had during battles of these two giants in any final of a tourna-
"1 am drinking about the defensive midfielder's position as 1 have one or two options. But my attack has regained the strength as (Awudu) Ibrahim returns after missing the second leg semifinal against Brothers," said Amalesh, whose side came from a , 2-1 deficit to edge an
inspired Brothers Union 3-2 in the first leg semifinal and drew the second leg 0-0 to make the final.
"There would be pressure because it is a final but the Super Cup has
inspired the players to give their best shot at the title. I think the players will prove that during the match," hoped the former national
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footballer, whose side lost the Federation Cup final to Mohammedan in tiebreakers, gave up a 2-1 lead to draw the first leg of the B. league but came from behind to defeat their perennial foes 2-1 in the return leg.
Maruf confirmed that Bukola will play and he felt no effect of their 1-0 loss to Chittagong Mohammedan in the second-leg semifinal that Mohammedan eventually won 3-2 on penalties. The Dhaka outfit had won the first leg 1 -0.
"We haven't justified out
status as a big team in the Super Cup. But we have improved and the players are motivated to go all out in the final.
"Abahani will miss two big names but they have options and I am not thinking about that. My concern is my own team. My attackers arc not fully fit and that could be a problem," said Maruf admitting that recent criticisms on his style have affected his boys.
"I am a human being and when someone says negative things, you have to react. My
players looked agitated but they have the confidence in me. 1 will tell the fans to expect the level best from two top Bangladeshi teams tomorrow, but not what they watch in international matches on TV."
In spite of all the positive talks, one could hardly expect the two teams to repeat the magnificent matches like the B. League due to too much pressure -- pressure of high expectations, pressure of big crowd and finally the pressure of losing die expensive winners’