BENGALURU FC WILL take to the field for the first time since being knocked out of the Federation Cup by Aizawl FC, in what is possibly going to be their toughest challenge of this season.
In terms of qualifying for the AFC Cup pre-quarter finals, tomorrow's match against Johor Darul Ta'zim is inconsequential. Bengaluru have pulled off something of a turnaround in their Asian campaign, getting 3 back to back wins after their initial two losses. As a success story, that deserves as much credit as their I-League victory. Standing on 9 points, BFC are guaranteed to finish second in Group H no matter what happens tomorrow.
But this game becomes special when you consider its immediate context. Johor, the defending AFC Cup champions, are a familiar opponent for Bengaluru. Last season, the Blues played their first ever continental championship game, an AFC Champions League qualifier first-round tie, against Johor, at the Larkin Stadium. It was a narrow, hard-fought win for the team that would go on to win the second tier championship of Asia.
Earlier this season, these two teams met again. This time at the Kanteerava. After another tight fight put up by a Bengaluru team devoid of Sunil Chhetri, Eugeneson Lyngdoh and Kim Song-yong, Johor managed to get a 1-0 win. In terms of dominance, they looked nothing like the steamrolling giants they have been in other AFC Cup group stage games.
And that makes one think. If BFC without their main attackers put up such a fight against the defending champions, who have a 100% win record in the group stage (15 points from 5 games, GD +15), what can a full-strength, well rested Bengaluru FC do to them?
It's definitely won't be easy going toe to toe with Johor at their home. Mohammed Safiq, who scored at Kanteerava, has been on a scoring streak in AFC Cup, while their two Argentinian strikers, Pereyra Diaz and Lucero, have been ruthless in the domestic league. They have a well-balanced defence too, and feature former Bundesliga (16 minutes) and Ligue 1 (10 games) player Marcos Antonio marshalling the back four.
But what if Bengaluru get a draw? What if they put up a strong fight and make Johor sweat? What if a few things go right and they actually win? Going by the previous performances, this is not an outlandish thought. And if this happens, if they get something out of the defending champions tomorrow, the amount of confidence boost that BFC will derive from it will be immense.
By virtue of finishing second, BFC will play their AFC Cup pre-quarter tie away from home. And a good result on the road will be a great precursor for it. But more than that, this will set them up for a very exciting summer, and an early start to the season after that.
The AFC Cup doesn't get over this season. If Bengaluru FC win on 25th May, they will play the quarter finals in September, after the summer break. And in order to put up an ambitious show in the final stages of a tournament like this, they will need to do two things: hold on to the best of this team (that means keeping the ISL franchises at bay till early November), and add as much strength as possible. And to attract higher quality players to the club, a good result against the defending AFC Cup champions makes for a great advertisement.
So, although at first sight this game looks more or less inconsequential, the significance of this match goes far beyond that. Games like this provide the best platform to Bengaluru FC to fulfil one of their higher mission statements: of establishing themselves as a force to reckon with in the Asian circuit.
It's nothing less than a chance for Bengaluru FC to shake off the slump of Federation Cup defeat, and do justice to the mantle of Champions of India that they are carrying at the moment. So the fans will hope Ashley Westwood and his boys come into this game with a point to prove.