SPORTS REPORTER

Five-time Bangladesh Premier League champions Bashundhara Kings will depart Dhaka for Doha this morning to play their AFC Challenge League playoff against Syrian Premier League runners-up Al-Karamah SC -- but with minimal preparation and tempered expectations.

The rising powerhouse of Bangladesh football endured a challenging season last year, finishing third in the domestic league and parting ways with key players such as Robson Robinho and Miguel Ferreira, the latter departing midway through the campaign. Although the Kings managed to clinch the Federation Cup and the inaugural one-off Challenge Cup, their continental campaign ended in disappointment, finishing bottom of their AFC Challenge League group with no wins.

Now, they find themselves in the playoff stage -- alongside Abahani Limited, who will host Kyrgyz side Muras United in Dhaka on the same day -- set to face Al-Karamah SC, a former AFC Champions League and AFC Cup runners-up from Syria.

However, the Kings’ preparation for the crucial tie has been far from ideal. The team had only two weeks of training before heading to Qatar and will have just a single day to prepare on location before taking on the Syrian giants.

Longtime Abahani captain Mohammad Ridoy, who recently switched allegiance to Bashundhara Kings, acknowledged the lack of adequate preparation in a conversation with The Daily Star.

“The players had been away from competitive football for a while, even though many of us continued working on our fitness individually,” Ridoy said. “But if we had just a bit more time to train together, things could definitely have been better.”

Adding to the concerns is the fact that Kings’ head coach and several foreign recruits will only join the squad in Doha a day or two before the fixture. The club has brought back Brazilian striker Dorielton Gomez and signed Rafael Augusto from Abahani, alongside Nigerian forwards Sunday Emmanuelle and Tony Emmanuelle from Mohammedan during the current transfer window.

They will also be bolstered by national team defender Tariq Kazi and England-based youngster Cuba Mitchell, with newly-appointed head coach Sergio Farias set to take charge of the team in Doha.

Ridoy, who joined Kings training on August 1 after representing Abahani for six seasons, is under no illusions about the scale of the task ahead.

“AFC competitions are always tough,” Ridoy remarked. “No matter who the opponent is, it’s always going to be a big challenge for us.”