Bengaluru FC will have to be wary of Bashundhara Kings’ attack, with the BPL side scoring as many as 67 goals in all competitions this season.
Follow Us
Bengaluru FC (BFC) recently suffered a 2-0 defeat against ATK Mohun Bagan in their group stage game of the 2021 AFC Cup. This has put quite a bit of pressure on the Bengaluru-based franchise as they prepare to face Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) champions Bashundhara Kings, in their penultimate Group D clash. However, head coach Marco Pezzaiuoli believes there is no pressure on his side despite the recent defeat. Their opponents, on the other hand, are on a winning streak having pulled off a 2-0 win against Maziya S&RC in their first group stage game.
“We’re up against a team from Bangladesh that scored 55 goals in the League and are champions. They conceded only nine goals in the League, and won their first group game 2-0. They score a lot of goals and have a strong defence, are compact at the back and counter very well. We might have to change things a little bit because this is our third game. Our plan will be to maybe go backwards a bit and create space behind them to score goals and create chances,” said Pezzaiuoli as quoted by BFC’s official website.
An own-goal from Mohammed Irufaan, followed by a strike from Brazilian winger Robinho, sealed three points for Oscar Bruzon’s side. The franchise made their AFC Cup debut last season in a campaign that was cut short due to the COVID-19 pandemic. They further retained the 2020-21 Bangladesh Federation Cup in January. Pezzaiuoli handed starts to Ajay Chhetri and Naorem Roshan Singh in the clash against ATK Mohun Bagan. Leon Augustine, Parag Shrivas and Ajith Kumar came off the bench in addition to summer signings Bidyashagar Singh and Danish Farooq.
“In life you cannot be negative. I choose to take the positives from the previous game where we had almost 70% ball possession against ATK Mohun Bagan. I think we only need to improve in certain aspects. There is no pressure. Football is not about pressure. We enjoy the games, and I am sure every team wants to be the number one in the Group. Want to win, and so do Bashundhara Kings. We have worked hard in training, and focused on certain things. Want to better our free-kicks and corners, and create better chances and finish them,” added Pezzaiuoli.
The Blues will have to be wary of Bashundhara Kings’ attack, with the BPL side scoring as many as 67 goals in all competitions this season. The franchise made several new foreign signings in Raul Becerra, Jonathan Fernandes, Khaled Shafiei and Robinho (on loan from Fluminense).
The Blues threw men forward and dominated possession in the closing stages of the defeat against ATK MB. However, they couldn’t find a way past the Mariners’ stubborn backline. It will be necessary for Bengaluru FC to dominate proceedings early, to avoid a similar situation in the upcoming encounter yet again.
