Thu, 28 Oct, 2021
Singapore: Singapore’s Balestier Khalsa are prepared for a must-win meeting with India’s Kingfisher East Bengal in the AFC Cup on Tuesday with the tournament debutants seeking their first points in Group F this year.
The Singapore Cup winners lost their maiden continental outing 3-0 (pictured) in Hong Kong to Kitchee last month.
And while Marko Kraljevic’s side lost 1-0 at home to Malaysia’s Johor Darul Ta'zim last week, Balestier were unlucky to miss out on a first-ever point in the AFC Cup after conceding a heartbreaking goal deep into stoppage time at Jalan Besar Stadium.
"Our last match against Johor Darul Ta'zim showed our boys can play against the best clubs Asia can offer. They have gained a lot of confidence from their performance against Johor,” said Balestier coach Kraljevic
"We have to go for a win because we do not have much choice if we want to stay in contention to qualify for the next round of the competition. A lot depends on how much our opponents put pressure on us.
"We have had a week to prepare our team and everyone is ready to play. East Bengal missing some key players is advantageous for us, so we will see how it all goes on the pitch. If we work hard, we can stop anyone."
Visitors East Bengal have fared slightly better at the start of the campaign after bouncing back from their 4-1 opening defeat by Johor by claiming a 1-1 draw last week in Hong Kong against Kitchee.
"Balestier are a very compact team. They play men behind the ball,” said East Bengal coach Eelco Schattorie.
"It will not be easy, but we see some chances in this game as we are aware of a weakness or two in our opponents.
"The 1-1 draw against Kitchee at home was a good confidence boost for us as we were organised and deserved the result. They had more chances than us, but we each scored a goal."
Last week’s draw left Hong Kong champions Kitchee still with an unbeaten record in the AFC Cup this season, although last year’s semi-finalists will look to return to winning ways at home to table-topping Johor on Tuesday at Mong Kok Stadium.
“We have played very well and I think we have a lot of chance to win,” said Kitchee coach Jose Molina, with his side sitting just two points behind the Group F leaders.
Johor, though, were able to maintain their 100% record by beating Balestier last week thanks to Asraruddin Omar’s stoppage time strike.
“We have had 10 matches in the last one and a half months, some players are injured and cannot play in the match tomorrow,” said Johor coach Bojan Hodak.
“But it is a good chance to let some players that do not play very much to fight for the team.”
Photo: WSG