AFC Cup: Bengaluru FC look to bounce back with win against hungry Warriors
Bengaluru: Ashley Westwood said his boys had a chance to make amends for the disappointing result against Persipura Jayapura when Bengaluru FC take on Warriors FC from Singapore in a Group E game of the AFC Cup at the Kanteerava Stadium, in Bengaluru, on Tuesday.
Having made the arduous journey to Jayapura in Indonesia without as many as six key players who were away on national duty, Bengaluru suffered a 3-1 defeat to the Indonesian Super League champions.
“It's a chance to get a result and put right what we didn't achieve in Indonesia. We are coming on the back of a disappointing performance where our hands were tied owing to the limited resources in terms of players available.”
“We knew it was going to be a tough game. They were the better side and probably surprised us with their quality. But the benefit in football is you always have games coming in thick and fast so we have the chance to put in a strong performance tomorrow.,” he said while addressing the press on Monday.
But while the Blues are still without the internationals, Westwood said his team will be better equipped to deal with their absence this time around.
“Obviously, we will be missing a few of our players away on national duty and that can't be helped but we are prepared as a squad to give in a good performance. We only had 15 outfield players available for the game against Persipura and that stays the same.”
“However, we could try some different shapes and personnel. We will be sitting with a few videos to see what we are up against and we will try and come up with a solution to get a result.”
While Bengaluru have three points from two games and sit second on the table, Warriors are yet to pick their first points after suffering defeats to Persipura and Maziya S&RC. But the Alex Weaver-coached team have more than one reason to take the battle to Bengaluru. The Singapore club suffered a heavy 6-0 defeat to Albirex Niigata in the League.
“We're looking forward to an important game for Warriors FC. It's important because of two reasons - our current standing in the group and because we are coming off the back of a bad result in our own league. So, we are looking at this game as an opportunity to bounce back really,” said Weaver.
Sunil Chhetri, Robin Singh, Eugeneson Lyngdoh and Keegan Pereira will be part of the India team that is away in Nepal to play the reverse leg of the World Cup qualifier which also takes place on Tuesday.
The gaffer, however, suggested a possible return of midfielders Shankar S and Siam Hanghal who are away at the India under-23 camp at Goa. The game kicks off at 7.30 pm.