Bengaluru: Bengaluru FC will look to notch up their second win to harbour a realistic chance of advancing to the next round of AFC Cup football when they take on Ayeyawadi United at Sree Kanteerava Stadium here on Wednesday.
After winning the last match against the same team 1-0 at Yangon in Myanmar, Ashley Westwood’s boys will be eyeing to garner three points to jump to number two position on the points table in Group H. However, BFC had a very bad start to the tournament, losing to defending champions Johor Darul Ta’zim and Lao Toyota.
Though he is happy with the win against the visitors, Westwood is not taking the side lightly that boasts of Nigerian striker Christopher Chizoba, who scored a hat-trick in the win over Lao.
“They are a decent side. We have played them away. First time they lost at home in three and a half years. Chizoba we know from India. They have a good Japanese player. They are a decent football team. We won’t go in as favourites,” he said.
“Their players are technically good. Last time they played 4-3-3 … They are more than capable of winning. We have to be at our best,” he added.
A draw would not be enough, according to Westwood.
“We have got two home games. Ayeyawady and Lao Toyota. Football matches are close affairs. They are more than capable of winning and so are we. Draw would be a disaster. We have got a chance and that’s all you can ask for,” he said.
Westwood has been unpredictable for opponents, for he has not fielded the same team throughout the season, making difficult for them to plan strategies.
“We always chop and change. Every game we have played this season, we haven’t played the same team. We have watched a lot of videos. We will look at our players who are fit. We will rotate and settle on a formula that will help us win.”
As far as Ayeyawady United is concerned, it is their last chance to qualify for the next round.
“It will be a decisive game for both teams,” Ayeyawady United Coach Kway Lwin said.
The visitors will be keen to learn from their mistakes and try not to miss chances, which they did in their last face-off with the BFC.
“Bengaluru is a strong team at home. They lost only 1-0 against JDT. Both sides will be trying hard to win and qualify for the knockouts. We just lost 1-0 at home. We created a lot of chances but we could not score. Bengaluru is the second best team in the group but we will give our best,” he said. Lwin is expecting Chizoba to find the net.
“Chizoba is a top-scorer for our team. He can score goals because of our local players who provide adequate service. I hope he can be on the scoresheet tomorrow,” he said. (PTI)
