AFC Cup 2018: Bengaluru FC announce 30-man squad for knock-outs, Harmanjot Khabra set to miss out
What's the story?
Bengaluru FC get ready to continue their journey towards AFC Cup glory as they take on Altyn Asyr FK in the first leg of their knock-out tie against the Turkmenistan outfit.
The Indian Super League (ISL) side have been dominant throughout the group stages of the AFC Cup and reached the knock-out stage with 15 points in total from Group E of the tournament. Ahead of the all-important match tomorrow, Bengaluru released their 30-man squad that will compete in the matches going forward.
In case you didn't know...
Bengaluru's opponents in the knock-out stage are a lesser-known Turkmenistan side that currently sit second in their domestic league and consist of all domestic players. Just like Bengaluru, Altyn Asyr too finished top of their group and are playing their first ever knock-out match in the AFC Cup.
The heart of the matter
Bengaluru's 30-man squad was revealed by the club as can be seen above, but the team face one small hiccup in that defender Harmanjot Khabra looks set to miss out on the two-legged tie due to sickness.
The India international has been reportedly hit with a bout of chicken pox and will definitely not play the first leg of the tie that takes place at the Sree Kanteerava Stadium tomorrow. While his absence is a blow for the ISL finalists, they do possess the resources required to fill the void left in the defence of the team.
What's next?
Bengaluru FC will be buoyed by their recent successes in the AFC Cup group stage that featured a 5-0 thrashing of former I-League champions Aizawl FC and a 4-0 spanking of Abahani Dhaka and should be heading into their crucial tie tomorrow with a fair bit of confidence.
Will Bengaluru FC go all the way to AFC Cup glory? Let us know in the comments.