AFC Cup 2021: Bengaluru FC Announced their 29 member squad for upcoming fixture against Nepal Club Army

Indian Super League(ISL) club Bengaluru FC have named their 29 member squad for their upcoming AFC Cup 2021 fixture against  Nepal Club Army. Bengaluru FC were awarded the vacant AFC Cup spot by the AFC as they were the table toppers of ISL 2019-20. This will be Marco Pezzaiuoli’s  first competitive outing since being appointed as the head coach. The 52 year old German has name four foreign players- Juanan Gonzalez, Erik Paartalu, Clieton Silva and new signing Gabonese defender Yrondu Musavu-King. Veteran Spanish midfielder Dimas Delgado has failed to make into the squad. Five players from the reserve team has made it to the senior squad.

Bengaluru Fc got the chance to play in the AFC Cup 2021 playoff as the spot was left vacant after the ATK- Mohun Bagan merger. Mohun Bagan was the 2020 I-League winner and ATK were the ISL champions. Bengaluru FC will play  in the preliminary round two of the playoff against Nepal Club Army at the GMC Bambolim stadium on April 14. The Nepalese side made it to the  preliminary round two playoff  after thrashing Sri Lanka SC 4-1 in the preliminary round one clash.

The winner of the match between Bengaluru FC and Nepalese Club Army will qualify for the group stages of AFC cup. The winner will be placed in the Group D (South Zone) of ADC cup 2021 alongside India’s ATK Mohun Bagan, Bangladesh’s Basundhra Kings and Maldives’ Maziya S&RC.

The blues are currently in Goa for the preparatory camp. A number of players had tested positive for COVID-19 . Skipper Sunil Chhetri has recovered from COVID-19 after testing positive few weeks ago. He has made it to the squad.

Only four overseas players can be selected in the squad because of the ‘3+1’ foreign players rule. The number of foreigners allowed in the squad is four and one of those four must be from an AFC affiliated country.

“Latest COVID-19 tests within the Blues’ camp in Goa have shown three positive cases among players and staff,” the club informed on its twitter handle.

Bengaluru Fc have previously reached the final of the AFC Cup in 2016 where they lost to Iraq’s Air Force Club 0-1.

Squad

Goalkeepers: Gurpreet Singh Sandhu, Lalthuammawia Ralte, Lara Sharma, Sharon Padattil

Defenders: Rahul Bheke, Pratik Chaudhari, Juan Gonzalez, Wungngayam Muirang, Ajith Kumar, Ashique Kuruniyan, Joe Zoherliana, Parag Shrivas, Yrondu Musavu-King, Biswa Darjee

Midfielders: Erik Paartalu, Suresh Wangjam, Harmanjot Khabra, Namgyal Bhutia, Emanuel Lalchhanchuaha, Damaitphang Lyngdoh, Muhammad Inayath

Forwards: Sunil Chhetri, Edmund Lalrindika, Udanta Singh, Cleiton Silva, Leon Augustine, Naorem Roshan Singh, Sivasakthi Narayanan, Akashdeep Singh