Bengaluru FC face Abahani in AFC Cup opener

BENGALURU: Amidst the euphoria of making it to the final of the Indian Super League in their maiden appearance, Bengaluru FC shift focus, briefly, to kick-start their AFC Cup group stage campaign with their opening Group E encounter against Abahani Limited Dhaka at the Sree Kanteerava Stadium here on Wednesday.
Last month, the Blues sealed their fourth straight AFC Cup group stage appearance - matching East Bengal’s 2010-13 feat - with a thumping 5-0 win (7-2 on aggregate) over Maldives' TC Sports Club.Coach Albert Roca fielded a relatively young squad and gave Bengaluru's big names a rest, a trend that will continue on Wednesday, especially with the ISL final just three days away.
“We’ve got a final coming up, one of the season’s most important games and I will have to rest some players,” Roca told reporters on Tuesday. “It's a shame because the AFC Cup is a very important competition but it's just one game before I go back to a full strength squad in Asia.”
Bengaluru are favourites to top the group, which also features Maldives' New Radiant and Aizawl FC.