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Abahani look for back-to-back wins

Sports Reporter
Bangladesh Premier League champions Abahani are looking forward to back-to-back wins in the AFC Cup as they square off against I-League champions Aizawl FC at the Bangabandhu National Stadium today. The match will get underway at 4:30pm.
The Sky Blues are in good spirits following a 3-0 win over the same opposition two weeks ago after having suffered two narrow defeats against New Radiant SC and JSW Bengaluru FC in the first two matches.
The Dhanmondi giants have already achieved their first target by beating Aizwal FC, but the second match might be a bit more difficult than the first.
“We targeted two matches against Aizawl to turn around, so after winning the first match things have turned tough for the second match. We need to regroup and keep our concentration. Our focus is to keep the same mentality. The team is in good shape mentally and committed to doing their job this time too,” Abahani coach Saiftil Bari Titu said at a pre-match press conference at the BFF house yesterday.
"The first match against Aiazwl was not easy even though we got early goals. But I think it will be tough for us this time because Aizawl have nothing to lose," opined Titu.
Abahani did not lose against an Indian opposition on home ground in the last edition, having handed a 2-0 defeat to
Bengaluru FC before playing out a 1-1 draw against Mohun Bagan during that campaign.
The charges of Titu hardly allowed the Aizawl forwards to get shots on target from inside the danger zone in the first match as the defence, comprised of Alison Udoka, Wali Faisal, Raihan Hasan and Mamun Mia, was pretty solid. Titu feels his defence needs another combined effort today to win the match.
The former national midfielder will also hope for another dazzling performance from his three strikers - Sunday Chizoba, Emeka Darlington and Rubel Mia - who penetrated the opposition defence constantly to either score or set up the goals.
Titu's counterpart Santosh Kashyap is apparently not very optimistic, but is nevertheless confident that his youthful side will give their best following some good preparations.
"I believe it is a great opportunity for my young team which is getting international exposure. In the previous match at home, we were a bit tired after playing three Super Cup matches in seven days in different cities. But this time we are much fresher and have had a good time to recover and rectify our mistakes," said Santosh, who helped his side to a fifth-place finish in the just-concluded I-League to qualify for the Super Cup.
Abahani are in third position in the group with three points from three matches while Aizawl are yet to open their account Bengaluru FC are on top of the group with nine points, followed by New Radiant on six points.