Bashundhara Kings to play against Pjanic, Alcacer, Manolas

Bangladesh Premier League champions Bashundhara Kings will play against Sharjah FC of the UAE in preliminary round of the AFC Champions League this year. The match will be played on August 15, according to an official release of the Asian Football Confederation, which did not mention the time and venue of the fixture.

The draw means the Bangladeshi outfit will get to play against some of the stars of European football, who have made a switch to Asian clubs over the past few years. The star-studded Sharjah FC features players like Miralem Pjanic, Kostas Malolas, Paco Alcacer, and others who have played at the highest level of European club and international football for many years.

Bashundhara Kings will be the first Bangladeshi team to play in the qualifying round of Asia's top-tier club competition. They have been drawn in the West Zone of the qualifying campaign. However, they will have to beat Sharjah, and if they do that then they will have to beat Tractor FC of Iran the following week to play in the group stages of the elite competition.