Bengaluru FC face their biggest challenge yet, as the Blues are 90 minutes away from a semi-final appearance in this season’s Asian Football Confederation Cup competition. Their opponents, Tampines Rovers, have the same motivation as the Singapore side also look to reach the semi-final stage of the competition for the first time in their history.
Having dominated the first leg, Bengaluru would have looked to go into the second leg with a lead bigger than the current scoreline, which stands at 1-0 to the team from India’s IT capital. Should Bengaluru make it through, they will join Dempo (2008) and East Bengal (2013) as the only Indian teams to have progressed to the semi-finals of the AFC Cup.
Exceeding expectations
It is rather surprising that a scenario in which the Mighty Stags might be knocked out of the competition is within touching distance, as compared to a week ago when nobody gave BFC a chance of progressing against the then in-form Rovers.
The Blues were coming off a pre-season in which they had lost their last two games and were getting accustomed to new coach’s Albert Roca’s possession-based methods as opposed to his predecessor, Ashley Westwood, under whom the 2016 I-League champions played a fast-paced counterattacking game for three years.
The Indian club, playing their first competitive fixture of the new season under a new coach behind closed doors because of the Cauvery water row in the city, were expected to roll over against the S.League side who stand second in their league currently and boast a front three of Jordan Webb, Billy Mehmet and Jermaine Pennant, who have a combined tally of 24 goals this season.
Yet, here we are speaking about BFC’s chances of progressing to the next stage, depending on the second leg of the tie to be held in Singapore.
Seizing the initiative
The biggest positive for the away side is the clean sheet that they carry over from the first leg, meaning the ‘0’ next to the away goals column for Tampines Rovers is worth its weight in gold.
This also means that the Singapore side cannot simply afford to sit back and defend, and will have to get that goal back, at any cost. If the Stags were to throw the kitchen sink at the Bengaluru goal, this might open up opportunities for the Bengaluru forwards to exploit spaces in the Rovers' defence.
Indeed, it was on one such breakaway that CK Vineeth struck in the first leg at home to give the Steelmen a slender advantage heading into the match at the Jurong West stadium in Tampines.
Coach Roca had also stressed on the importance of not sitting back on their lead and playing some constructive football in Singapore, at the end of the first match.
As the home side are expected to apply the pressure from the start, it is probably wisest for BFC to try and sneak a goal as that would pile the pressure on the Rovers. Should the Blues grab a goal in Singapore, the home team would have to score three in order to progress as the competition's away-goal rule for the competition is applicable at the “conclusion of normal playing time of the second match in any tie in the Knockout Stage.” Score two, and then Rovers would have to score four.
One change per side expected
Roca is not expected to make a host of changes as the team which played the first leg is close to the strongest team that Bengaluru have.
Teenage left-back Nishu Kumar may be the only one to lose his place from the first leg, as the veteran Lalchhawnmawia Fania is available for selection again and is expected to take up his place on the left of defence, especially considering the fact that Rovers concentrated their attacks down the JSW-owned club’s left-side in the first leg.
Alwyn George started ahead of Kumam Udanta Singh in Bengaluru and is expected to continue, despite the latter’s brief cameo at home on his return from injury. Roca may not want to risk the 20-year old Udanta in a game of this magnitude as Alwyn’s performance was satisfactory in the first leg.
The other members of the defence – centre-backs John Johnson and Juan Antonio and right-back Rino Anto – are expected to start in front of goalie Amrinder Singh. Alwyn and Eugeneson Lyngdoh will again be tasked with the wings, with the duo of Cameron Watson and Alvaro Rubio, both hugely influential in the first leg, expected to sit deep and co-ordinate play from there. Accompanying skipper Sunil Chhetri up front should be last week’s goal-scorer Vineeth.
Tampines will be without captain Fahrudin Mustafic, who was substituted in the first half of the Bengaluru leg with a thigh strain. Fabian Kwok could start in central defence in place of Mustafic as the rest of the line-up may remain unchanged.
For the visitors, the danger men are the trio of Mehmet, the vastly-experienced Pennant and Webb, who was Rovers’ biggest threat in Bengaluru. Between these three, they have the ability to score a few fast goals; hence the Blues must be wary of the home side’s attacking threat.
John Johnson won his battle against Mehmet in the first leg and it remains to be seen if the English defender can repeat his performance in the second leg.
Roca and his side will have more confidence from the first leg, but will have to play out of their skins as it will be anything but easy in Singapore as Tampines look to make history of their match. Don’t miss this exciting clash; catch it on Star Sports 4 SD and HD at 5 pm IST.