Abahani leave for Male

Bangladesh Premier League champions Abahani left for Maldives yesterday to play their fifth match of the AFC Cup against Maziya Sports and Recreation Club. The match will take place at the Male National Stadium tomorrow.

Abahani, who are at the bottom of their group with three points alongside Mohun Bagan of India, started their campaign in April with a 2-0 defeat against the Maldivian outfit during the home leg in Dhaka. The Dhanmondi giants have little more than formality remaining in this campaign as both the top two clubs – Maziya and Bengaluru FC of India – are sitting pretty at the top with nine points each. Even if Abahani win their final two matches, things will come down to goal difference.

However, one thing that will encourage the Sky Blues ahead of this fixture is the fact that they ended their three-match losing streak with a rousing 2-0 win in their last match against Bengaluru FC on May 3 in Dhaka. Drago Mamic's charges played a technically excellent game and capped it off with two wonderful goals. The Croatian coach will be hoping for a similar performance in Male.