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Abahani want good start

AFC President's Cup begins today

Football Sports Reporter
Abahani will fancy carrying their superb Bangladesh League form to the AFC President's Cup qualifiers that gets underway at the Bangabandhu National Stadium from today.
The popular Sky Blues, hosts of the four-team qualifiers, will take on New Road of Nepal in the second match under lights after the opening game between Kyrgyzstan’s Dordei Bishkek and Chinese Taipei's Hasus NTCPE.
The opening match will kick off at 4:00pm while the second and the most anticipated match will start at 7:00pm.
Two-time Bangladesh League champions Abahani have had the bitter experience in the third tier Asian clubs' competition, having been eliminated twice from the group stage.
But this time they are determined to make it to the finals.
Abahani have been playing amazing football in the Bangladesh League, extending their unbeaten run to a staggering 32 games including eleven in the previous edition. The runaway leaders are heading to lift the professional league for the third time in a row.
And coach Amalesh Sen was excited about the prospect of crossing the qualifying hurdle in a season where his striking duo of Enamul Haq and Ghanaian Awudu Ibrahim are in superb form.
"We will be playing against the champions of other nations in the meet. But this time we expect to do better considering our performance in the ongoing league," said the Abahani coach, adding that Kyrgyztan's Dordei Bishkek would be the team to beat in the group.
Amalesh said that they want to have a good start against the Nepalese champions.
"If we can beat both the Nepalese and Chinese Taipei's sides by good margins, we will stand a good chance to do something different this
time," he said.
He however admitted that it would be very tough to beat Dordei Bishkek, who played all five finals and clinched the AFC President's Cup title twice.
"Last time we were eliminated by virtue of goal difference despite having finished top with Turkmenistan's FC Asgabad. But two convincing wins and a draw might take us through this time."
He however admitted that he had little idea about the Nepal and ChineseTaipei sides.
Asked what would be the key role to fulfill his dream, the Abahani coach banked on his solid defence and the on-song striking pair.
"Our defence is more organised than last year and our striker Enamul is scoring in every league match," he said. Enamul has so far scored
18 goals in the league.
He admitted that he has a bit problem in the midfield where players lack the stamina.
The former Bangladesh international hinted that he might go with five defenders with Rajani Kanta Barman playing ahead of Ghanaian Samad Yousuf, Atiqur Rahman Mishu, Mohammad Sujan and IbnulSiraji.
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Amalesh's Nepalese counterpart Egombor Suwal said that they would play attacking football.
"Our team is a balanced side and like others we are also expecting to qualify for the finals," Suwal said.
"We have no clear idea about Abahani, but I have learnt that they are a good side and we will play an offensive game against them," he added.
The Nepalese side, which clinched the Premier league title four times in their 75-year history, is studded with two current national players and one Danish striker, who has scored 13 goals in the league so far.