Kings in Thimphu for AFC Challenge League

Five-time Bangladesh Premier League champions Bashundhara Kings have flown to Thimphu, Bhutan on Monday for the AFC Challenge League, the new third-tier club competition of Asia, after having participated in the now-defunct AFC Cup in three previous editions.

The Bangladeshi club, who failed to cross the group-stage hurdle on each of those occasions under Oscar Bruzon, now have a new coach in charge and are without their talismanic forward Robson Robinho.

The Bangladesh champions will start their campaign against Lebanese league champions Nejmeh on October 26 before squaring off against Bruzon's new club, East Bengal, on October 29 and wrap up the campaign three days later against Paro FC of Bhutan.

The group winners and the best of three group runners-up will go through to the next round.

"We have played three warm-up matches here. But our Challenge League opponents are stronger. For example, Nejmeh has six national team players, along with one professional footballer of good quality from Ghana.

"East Bengal are also strong. But our players think it's a great platform to compete, and that's for me as a coach as well. We are definitely going there with the aim of making it to the next round,'' Kings' new Romanian coach Valeriu Tita told the media prior to their departure.

Apart from the proven locals such as Rakib Hossain, Sheikh Morsalin, Topu Barman and Sohel Rana, the coach will bank on foreigners including Miguel Figueira, the returning Jonathan Fernandez and new recruit Isaiah Ezeh as well as loanee Omar Sarr.