Bagan begin their AFC Cup journey going up against Maziya at a home away from home

I-LEAGUE TABLE TOPPERS Mohun Bagan will begin their journey in the group stage of AFC Cup by locking horns with Maziya Sports & Recreation Club in a high-voltage clash at the Indira Gandhi Stadium at Guwahati on Wednesday.

Bagan were relegated to this competition after losing to China's Shandong Luneng in the second round of the AFC Champions League qualifiers. The AFC Cup tourney is the second tier competition of the continental body.

The Kolkata-based club decided to choose Guwahati as their home venue for the AFC Cup group stage since the Salt Lake Stadium, the only AFC-certified arena in the Bengal capital, is going through renovations to prepare for hosting the FIFA U-17 World Cup next year.

The Mariners are coming off a splendid run in the I-League. Bagan are atop the leader board and have been unbeaten this season so far.

Maziya, the club from Maldives on the other hand have won only two of their last five games. Those triumphs were against the same side, Warriors FC. They have lost to Persatuan Sepak Bola (1-2) and Indian outfit Bengaluru FC (1-2) and have drawn one encounter.

Coached by Ali Suzain, Maziya also known as the 'green boys', finished fourth in the Dhivehi Premier League and qualified for the AFC Cup by winning the Maldives FA Cup, beating league champions New Radiant in penalties.

Bagan gaffer Sanjoy Sen would be wary of the fact that his men will have their task cut out as Maziya are one of the top sides in the Maldives and accordingly he might have to change his game plan a little.

Ideally, Sen would want his big guns to fire. Sony Norde, Katsumi Yusa, Jeje Lalpekhlua are all ready to take on Maziya, but will they be able to produce their A-game and score goals against a side they don’t know much about? Also, the lack of form shown by Cornell Glen in the past few games remains a concern for Sen; and there's a question mark over whether the striker from Trinidad & Tobago will even make the starting line-up tomorrow.

For the visitors Ismail Easa, Assadhulla Abdulla and Bokuree will largely bear the responsibility in the attacking front.

Abdulla is regarded as the best striker in the Dhivehi Premier League, whereas Bokuree and Easa are known for their talent playing wide in the pitch. Despite being an outfit which likes to play attacking football, Moosa Yameen is deployed in a defensive midfield role to provide cover for the back four, making for a largely balanced set-up.

Other Maziya players to watch out for will be winger Ahmed Nashid and goalkeeper Imran Mohamed. 

Sen would have surely done his homework on the tourists and the tactician that he is he would first plug in the holes in the defence and then may think about his attack.

Bagan have the pace upfront and in the midfield, while Maziya too like attacking football; the contest thus promises to be an engaging one.

The hosts are in Group G of the competition along with South China (Hong Kong), Yangon United (Myanmar) and Maziya.